Renegade
by Figure in black
Summary: He is a traveller who abandoned his race out of shame.  She, a student nurse trying to find her purpose in life.  Love blossoms as he inspires her to travel the stars with him, but what dangers will they face?  GCC
1. Chapter 1

The sounds of gears whirring to life broke the silence of the surrounding bleak darkness, the burnt orange sky above the abandoned wastelands baring witness to the metal behemoth's rebirth. Breaking through the protective outer shell that spared it from the soul-shattering cold of space, its red eyes scanned its new surroundings as a new mission objective was calculated through its internal CPU drive.

Motors pistoned into life as large, mechanical wings extended to their full length and began to oscillate as the 15 ton metallic creature took flight. Tongues of flames littered the edge of the newly-forged crater and created shadows that danced along the sand. The only sound that could be heard was the slow beating of the beast's wings as it searched for its target.

* * *

><p>"…<em>Today's weather forecast predicts beautiful sunshine throughout the whole day, and with barely a cloud in the sky it's fair to say that anyone without work or school today should take advantage and soak up those rays!…"<em>

The sweetly-sounding voice played though the speakers of the small tv set and echoed it's way around the lounge/kitchen of the small flat, not going unheard by the young woman who was preparing herself for another long day in the nearby bathroom, the door open slightly a-jar.

"Just typical!" She thought to herself as she brushed her long, ebony hair and double-checked her reflection in the mirrored cabinet before her. "It's always gorgeous and sunny when I'm working!" Reaching for the mascara she applied the blackened brush to the eyelashes of both her eyes, taking two test blinks when finished and quickly reaching for her lip gloss.

"…_And in other news, what appears to be a meteorite has crash landed in the state-side wastelands in the early hours of this morning…"_

The hinges of the bathroom door squeaked in protest, as the small flat's only occupant headed straight into the lounge and grabbed her handbag, which had been placed onto the chair directly in front of the TV set.

"…_Witnesses have claimed to have seen what appears to be a large creature fly away from the crash site…_"

The sweet-sounding voice was quickly cut short as the TV was quickly turned off with the press of a button on the remote control. "Please!" The young woman quickly tossed the offending remote onto the nearby sofa across the room.

* * *

><p>Chichi Mau's feet ached and a pounding headache thumped between her ears as she tried to keep her footing in the large crowds of West City Main Street. The bustling commuters barging their way past caused her to lose her balance every now and then, but she stood her ground firmly and gave as good as she got, her slim and trim figure coming in handy.<p>

A frown of agitation etched her pretty features as her ebony hair danced freely behind her back with two bangs framing her face, completing the look. A smirk slowly made its way to her face as she noticed her salvation from the continuing mob, and made a dash for a nearby deserted alley. She paused near the large bins of an Indian Takeaway as she brushed the dust and dirt she had collected on her journey from her nurse uniform.

"What!" She shouted, causing some of the commuters walking nearby to stumble in their strides. "That can't be right!" She roughly grabbed the fob watch attached to the top left of her uniform and analysed its face more closely. "Great, it's only 8.45 and it feels like I've already done an eight hour shift!" She let out a sigh and continued walking down the alley, not caring where she walked.

She let out a small surprised squeal as her right foot gave out from under her and she fell clumsily to the cobbled ground beneath her. Grabbing her ankle immediately after out of instinct, Chichi noticed the object she had stood on. Curiosity getting the better of her, she reached out and picked up a feather, or what _appeared_ to be a feather.

It was at least half a metre in length, cool to the touch and extremely light, which was strange as it appeared to be made of some kind of metal. "But that can't be..." Chichi's head spun with so many questions and answers, all of them completely preposterous of course in her rational mind. She was quickly pulled back into reality when a large shadow danced over the alleyway, causing Chichi to look up in surprise, her hand clutched to her chest to stop her fast beating heart.

"No!" She shouted yet again as she grabbed her fob watch and noted the time yet again. Pulling herself back to her feet, she frog-marched her way down the alley and towards a large building that loomed above her over the horizon.

* * *

><p>The heavy footsteps of the matron echoed heavily within the corridors of the fourth floor, her hook nose slightly upturned as she looked down at the nurses around her, a small smirk appeared as she saw them all squirm under her gaze. The constant frown on her face deepened significantly as she saw the dishevelled form of the young Chichi race from the nearby elevator, her dirty footprints leaving a trail behind her.<p>

Letting a small growl escape from her lips, she closely followed her to the nurse's locker room, almost as if she were a predator stalking her prey.

With great difficulty, Chichi managed to place her key into the lock and opened her locker, her hands still shaking from exhaustion. Just as she placed her handbag inside and inspected her reflection in the mirror within, she finally realised she wasn't alone. A small shiver snaked its way up her spine.

And speaking of snakes...

"Matron Snake, I'm so sorry...I –"

"It's nice of you to make an appearance Miss. Mau. I hope this job isn't of inconvenience to you?" Her words dripped with venom.

"I-I'm sorry! There...There was a rail-strike! And I had to walk half-way across the city...and the crowds were – "

"I will not listen to your excuses!" She snapped, causing Chichi to drop her head and look at the floor. "As a trainee nurse, I expect certain...standards. And one of them is arriving to work on time! If you wish to become a qualified nurse for this hospital I will expect to see you on your toes from now on." The Matron turned and walked towards the door, however she quickly paused, her hand hovering over the door handle. "This little discretion will not go unnoticed, and it shall be written on your monthly report, I do not expect it to happen again!" She firmly opened the door and closed it roughly, leaving Chichi behind with her thoughts.

* * *

><p><em>This has to be the slowest two hours of my life!<em> Chichi thought to herself as she sorted out the notes and paperwork of a recently discharged patient. She let out a small squeak as she caught her finger on the edge of one of the pages. "Just great! As if this day couldn't get any better!" She grumbled, until she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Rough day?" A soft voice asked as Chichi turned round to face a young woman by the name of Launch. She was a tall woman with large, blue hair and the kindest eyes Chichi had ever seen. She had just recently qualified as a nurse a couple of months previous and was one of Chichi's closest friends from the hospital.

"Where do I begin? First of all there's a rail strike so I had to walk to work! Then I trip over and hurt my ankle on some stupid metal feather...thing! And then I get chewed up and spat up by Matron Tight-Ass for being late for my shift! And if that isn't bad enough she said she was going to write it into my monthly report!" Chichi inhaled and exhaled deeply to calm her nerves as Launch shook her head in sympathy.

"You're not having a good day, are yah hun?" She asked softly as Chichi slowly shook her head. "Would a new patient help?" Launch continued as Chichi looked up at her expectantly and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure...why not." She replied with a tired smile. Linking arms, they both made their way into the corridor and towards a private room. Looking through the glass pane Chichi could make out the image of an elderly man tucked tightly into his bed, a drip set to the left and a heart monitor to his right.

"This is Mr. Tsuru. Severe acute renal failure. We've pumped him with fluids for the past two hours downstairs in the ICU but his urine output is very low and his Urea level is through the roof, so unfortunately he doesn't have long with us. We would have kept him downstairs, saving him the stress of moving him but we needed the bed for a serious R.T.A. So, to put it simply, just keep him comfortable and make sure his last hours are cosy and snug!"

Chichi chuckled softly, "Boy would I love cosy and snug right now!" However her professionalism quickly returned. "Does he have any relatives?" Launch nodded, her hair swaying with the movement. "Yeah, a younger brother, a Mr. Tao, should be here in the next hour. Hopefully he'll be here on time..." Launch looked close to tears as she watched the weak old man through the glass.

_She always was sensitive in these situations._ Chichi thought as she watched her friend from the corner of her eye. _Maybe that's why she's so good at her job..._ Chichi pondered as her gaze also locked onto the frail patient in the bed in front of them.

A shrill beeping filled the air, pulling the two young women from their thoughts. Launch immediately reached for a beeper on her belt and looked at its display, smiling in recognition. "Looks like I'm needed on the second floor!" She shone a large grin at Chichi standing next to her and walked down the corridor towards the nearby elevators. "I'll catch yah later Chi!" She shouted without turning round.

Chichi watched her leave with a look of envy on her face. _I can't wait till I qualify so I can get a beeper and be needed at places..._ She thought with an air of childishness, turning back round once again to check on the old man.

"He doesn't do much, does he?"

Chichi squealed and her heart practically leaped into her throat when she realised a tall man was standing directly behind her. His head was almost leaning on her shoulder and, at this moment he was staring directly into the private cubicle like a young child curiously staring at goldfish in a tank. His jet-black hair seemed to defy the laws of gravity as it spiked in all different directions and he was dressed in a tight spandex blue outfit, with the top half covered in what appeared to be white and yellow armour.

"Who the hell are you? Where did you come from? H-How did you get here?" Chichi asked while she looked around them both to see if she could see any obvious routes. How come she didn't even see him walk towards her? "You ask a lotta questions lady." He spoke to her with a calm voice and an innocent look on his face. "Look you! Just-" She stopped mid-sentence, her finger poking a hole in his chest armour. "Just answer my questions will ya?" It was strange, but she just couldn't stay mad at this man.

"Only if you answer mine first!" He grinned triumphantly, glad at his quick retort. Chichi growled quietly in annoyance at the man before her, but it quickly dissipated when she once again looked upon the old man. "He's dying" She whispered slowly as the mysterious stranger listened intently. "He's got a couple of hours left at the most." The stranger looked sadly through the window-pane and into the tiny cubicle. "I'm sorry."

"So that's why he doesn't need you to sit at his bed-side and tell corny jokes and try to cheer him up, it would be unethical if I let you walk in there!" Chichi pointed at the door next to them as she scowled at the young man. He turned his head once again to face her, a look of utter surprise etched on his face as he looked to where she pointed and turned again to face her. "What are you talking about?" He asked as she almost slapped him.

"Well that's what you are isn't it? One of those clowns not good enough for a circus or freak show who run round here _entertaining_ people all day? Why else would you be walking round here in that stupid get-up?" She asked as she looked down at his attire, and only now realising how tight it fit to his body causing her to blush furiously and look away almost immediately. The mystery man's jaw was inches away from creating a giant crater in the tiled floor. "Listen lady, I-"

"Ahh, Chichi! There you are!" A short man quickly interrupted their 'conversation', he was in his early 50's wearing a white coat with a small badge of a black cat on his lapel and a stethoscope hung loosely round his neck, a large grin was plastered underneath his bushy moustache. Chichi smiled the second she saw him. "Dr Briefs! Good morning, I'm guessing this is your patient then?" She asked smiling as she signalled to Mr. Tsuru and completely forgot about the stranger standing next to her, who was now watching the two intently.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I really must go over my contract sometime as it appears they only seem to give me the hopeless cases." His grin grew a little larger as he stroked his chin in thought. Chichi couldn't help but form a small smile. "You know fine well it's because you are one of the greatest doctors in this hospital and you have the highest record of saving hopeless cases." The stranger stood between the two and looked from one to the other with an innocent stare, almost as if he were watching a tennis match.

"I suppose you're right!" Dr. Briefs grinned as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe, complete with large needle, that was filled to the brim with a transparent purple liquid. Removing the protective cap from the needle, he gave it a couple of squirts to make sure he removed most of the air bubbles inside. This simple act caused a strange reaction with the nearby mystery man who suddenly started to sweat considerably and turn the same colour blue as his suit.

Chichi watched him squirm, switching his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes never leaving the needle in Dr. Brief's hand. "Are you OK?" She asked him, she was starting to get pretty worried about him, he looked as if he was about to burst. "Oh, sorry son, I didn't see you there!" Dr. Brief's looked up at the young man with a large grin. "Is there something that you want?"

The reaction was immediate.

"NO! No...nothing at all! Absolutely nothing! Nope! Not me! Look I gotta do, um...SOMETHING...and it absolutely does not involve you or that needle! So...um...BYE!" And with that the mysterious stranger took off down the corridor at break neck speed, practically knocking down everyone that stood in his path. Chichi quickly took a couple of steps forward and began to shout after him. "Hey! There's no running down the – " She quickly cut short her sentence when she noticed him just simply vanish before her.

Chichi furiously blinked and rubbed her eyes and looked again hoping to still see him there running down the corridor, but he was gone, he really had just vanished into thin air. "Oh, well, never mind then!" Dr. Brief's spoke cheerfully, he didn't even look up from the syringe he was examining and hadn't noticed the stranger's desperate need to escape. "So then, Nurse Chichi! The sooner we see our patient, the better I think!" He grinned at her yet again and made his way into the cubicle, with Chichi slowly following him, feeling a little dumbstruck.

* * *

><p>"I need a drink!" Chichi mumbled as she staggered her way once again through West City Main Street. No matter how hard she tried her mind would constantly return her to that poor old man, Mr. Tsuru. Not even Dr. Brief's best efforts could save him. Part of her knew that his death was going to be inevitable, but no matter how many times she prepared herself for it, it still came back as a shock.<p>

That was one of the things she hated about this job, it always made her question her own life, the choices she made, causing her to realise that no-one was destined to live forever. She had always lived on the boring, slow path, never taking any risks. And it was at times like this that she really wished she had. That way, her life would seem all the more meaningful.

The crowds dissipated slightly from those of this morning, which helped to lighten Chichi's mood a little, as she no longer had the energy to squeeze through countless sweaty suited bodies. "When I get home, I'm gonna have a nice hot bath...with a large bar of chocolate in one hand and a glass of wine in the other!" She sighed softly at the thought, and smiled when she saw a taxi slowly make its way down the road adjacent to her.

_To hell with this! _She thought to herself. _Its payday tomorrow, might as well give in to a little treat every now and then!_ She quickly took a couple of steps towards the edge of the pavement and raised her hand high above her head. "Taxi!" She shouted, signalling to the driver.

She certainly did not expect to see what she saw next.

The sound of crumpling metal echoed as both Taxi and driver were suddenly crushed by what appeared to be a large metal bird. It was at least ten feet in height by Chichi's judgement, with a razor sharp beak capable of slicing a fully-grown human in half with just one bite. It unravelled its wings from its stocky body and spread them wide, almost as if it were celebrating a victory and quickly lowered its head, giant red eyes surveyed the scene of mass panic in-front of it. Men, women and children scattered in all directions, desperate to get away from the giant threat.

Chichi, however, didn't move a muscle.

She stood completely still, frozen to the spot. Her heart once again began to pound and her breathing increased ten-fold. All she wanted to do was run but her legs refused to move. The Beast's scope of vision turned slowly until it took in the sight of the young woman before it. Chichi's eyes widened in horror and she screamed in pure terror at the fate that lay before her. The Beast opened its large mouth and roared, almost in reply and raised its large, metal feet equipped with sharp, metal talons, and stomped its way towards her, denting the bonnet of the Taxi even more creating large footprints in the tarmac below.

Chichi finally regained the use of her legs and began to slowly edge backwards, away from the approaching creature, however she quickly lost her balance and fell hard onto the floor yet again, almost in the same position as she had that very morning. The creature took this as its opportunity and quickly charged towards her, wings outstretched and beak open.


	2. Chapter 2

The creature, however, never got any closer as a large force from the side slammed it at least twenty feet away.

Chichi watched, awe-struck, as the creature skidded to a halt and rammed a couple of parked cars across the street after it, the howls of their alarms filling the air. Chichi turned her head to look at what had caused that sudden impact and her mind boggled when she saw the strange man she had saw earlier standing in the exact place the creature had been just a moment ago. Determination and anger had now replaced the innocence on his face. It was almost as if she could see a bright energy surround him.

He turned his head slightly to face her, his frown easing when he saw her. Their eyes locked together for a moment, it almost felt as if Chichi could see into his mind if only just for a second. However the connection was broken as the giant metal creature finally made it back up to its feet and charged at the young man in the manner of a ferocious bull. He quickly turned back to face it, his body arching into a fighting stance and at the last second, he dodged the attack and grabbed the Beast by its tail.

His large hands gripped the metallic feathers of the Beast's tail as it struggled helplessly to break free. With a large, powerful scream he began to spin his body, bringing the Beast with him. He slowly began to gain momentum as the two of them began to blur into a vortex, Chichi couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene before her. _This has to be some sort of dream._ She thought as her eyes began to sting from watching them.

After at least a minute, the man's grip on the Beast was finally released and it was sent flying into a nearby skyscraper. The force of the impact caused a shockwave to spread all across the city, the screams of the nearby people echoed as debris and rubble fell either nearby or on-top of them.

With a huge effort, the Beast managed to free itself from what was left of the building and took flight away from the city and towards the nearby mountains. It had obviously been injured greatly as its left wing seemed to lack in range of movement compared to the right.

After watching its escape, Chichi quickly turned back to her rescuer, who was at this moment in time walking towards her, his eyes scanning her for what seemed to be for any serious injuries. As soon as he reached her he knelt down towards her to meet her gaze, their eyes once again locking for a brief moment. "Are you alright?" He asked her, the obvious concern he had for her was written all over his face.

"I...I.." Chichi was completely stunned, she had no idea what she was thinking, let alone saying. "What was...What happ...Who are you?" She stammered, what she had just seen still hadn't quite sunk in. "What's your name?" He asked her softly, as if he were talking to a child who had just lost her mother. "But...but I asked y-"

"What is your name?" He asked again, a little more forcefully this time and cutting her sentence short. "Chichi" she replied in a daze. "Chichi Mau." The stranger stood back to his full height and turned around, showing Chichi his back. "Listen...I want you to forget everything that's happened...I want you to forget about the creature...about the fight...and most importantly.." He turned round to face Chichi yet again, only this time when he looked down at her there was a sadness in his eyes.

"Forget me...Chichi Mau." And with that, he blurred right in front of Chichi's eyes and vanished out of sight.

* * *

><p>She had no idea how she made it back to her apartment that night, her memories of the past hour blurred in her mind's eye and every fibre in her body ached, either physically or mentally. And no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to get that young man out of her mind. The way his hair spiked, the way he seemed to change from innocent to commanding in an instant...and those eyes. Even when she thought about them she would get lost in their depths.<p>

There was a clatter as her handbag fell forcefully to the floor as Chichi collapsed into a nearby chair, her head drooping immediately against its back, she could no longer fight the urge to stay conscious as she closed her eyes.

Unfortunately, this didn't last, as a few seconds later she was woken forcefully from her nap by the shrill ring of her nearby phone. She clumsily reached out for it with an outstretched hand, not looking at what she was doing and knocked over an old family photo in the process. Taking the phone from its cradle she pressed the button and held it to her ear.

And almost blew out her eardrums.

"Chichi! Chichi, is that you? Oh please say it's you!" Chichi rolled her eyes and smiled at her friend's behaviour. "Hey Bulma."

"Don't 'Hey Bulma' me! Do you have any idea how worried I've been!" Chichi removed the phone for a few seconds to save her hearing and then replaced it back again. "- all over the news! The giant metal thing, then the skyscraper! And then when I heard it was at Main Street I knew you had to have been there! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Bulma, really! I'm a little bit shook up, but it's nothing a good night's sleep won't cure I guess…"

"A night's sleep! Come on! You're suffering from shock! There's only one thing that can help ease it!" Chichi giggled. "A quick burst of fluid shock therapy?" She could practically hear Bulma's scowling down the phone.

"Whisky, Chichi! Whisky! Have I not taught you anything! You need a stiff drink!"

"Bulma, I –" Chichi's smile was wiped from her face when she saw a flash of light streak past her window. "Listen, can I call you back?" She asked, trying to stay calm as her eyes never left the opposite window. "No! Chichi don't you dar-" Chichi hung up without even listening to Bulma's protests as she dropped the phone to the floor, made her way to her front door, out into the apartment's public corridor and straight up the stairs to the roof.

* * *

><p>It was late evening now, and the sky had begun to turn a light purple as twilight arrived, the moon was just becoming visible, casting a soft glow over the entire city. The wind whipped at Chichi's face as she searched the roof for anything out of the ordinary. She almost screamed in terror when the wind had caught the roof access door and slammed it shut with an inhuman force. Running at the door she tugged as hard as she could but the door would not budge, it was jammed tight. Turning back round her eyes immediately caught those of someone she never thought she would see again.<p>

"Y-You!" She shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the stranger who had been stalking her for most of the day. In response, he pointed a finger back, he too was shocked at the turn of events. "What are you doing here?" He asked her, he was obvious to the coincidences and seemed slightly annoyed. This time however, Chichi was ready for him.

"I live here!"

"What do you do that for?" He asked innocently as Chichi crossed her arms in annoyance. "Well you're just gonna have to leave!" He continued as he strolled confidently towards her and reached out for her hand. "Why? What the hell is going on!" She asked, her breath catching in her throat when she felt his hand grip hers. "I don't know why I didn't see it before! I'm so stupid! He smacked the palm of his free hand to his forehead. "It's classed you as its prey! When a Caw finds a suitable prey it tracks them down, there's nothing they like better than a good hunt!"

The stranger was practically dragging Chichi along the roof, with her having to jog to keep up with his large strides. "That's why I tracked it here! It was looking for you!" With his free hand he pulled a small device from his side and attached it to his right ear. With a click of a button it came to life, flashing unknown and seemingly foreign symbols on a small screen that stretched across his left eye. Reaching for the roof access door, the mystery man opened it with ease, even though it was jammed tight and there was at least a two-ton pressure of wind beating onto it.

"Right then, there we are!" He practically threw Chichi through the open door and shot her a huge grin, which practically made her drool. "Why don't you go and inject old, dying people with purple liquid and do what I told you earlier, and forget about me." And without giving her time to reply, he shut the door on her, the slam resounding round the dreary corridor. However it was opened yet again two seconds later.

"Oh, and Chichi?" His device over his eye began to beep erratically and a familiar screeching filled the air.

"Run for your life!" The door slammed hard in front of her as the sound of a fight quickly began to seep through the large, cast-iron door.

Chichi wasn't gonna be told twice.

With the speed of an Olympic sprinter she ran hard and fast down the stairs and straight for the nearest elevator.

It seemed almost surreal to her. Here she was, standing in this small box with sickeningly sweet piano music playing in the background while possibly the fight of the century was happening but a few floors above her.

She took the opportunity to take slow, deep breaths, preparing herself for more running. And as soon as the doors opened with a small _ping_ she sprinted as fast as she could through the small entrance foyer and slammed herself through the revolving doors and out into the cold street.

Looking skyward she could see what appeared to be flashes of light, the silhouette of the two warriors were reflected onto the pavement in front of her like demented shadow puppets. Chichi's whole body ached and her feet pounded in her shoes yet again as the day's activities began to take their toll.

A howl filled the night sky as the large creature, which had previously been flying round the apartment block looking for a weakness to exploit, was suddenly engulfed in a bright blue light. The light was so bright that Chichi had to quickly shield her eyes, and within a few seconds it slowly dimmed, and was soon followed by the sickening crunch of the creature as it fell the full 30 storeys straight to the ground.

By now a large crowd of people had gathered, all curious as to what was unfolding before them, most of them were dressed in their night clothes and wearing dressing gowns to save themselves from the cold night air. And it wasn't long before flashing lights and sirens soon followed.

The fire brigade and police force screeched to a halt outside the building, with the fireman examining the fresh corpse and the officers setting up cordons and pushing back the crowd. They wasted no time, with every available officer gathering statements from possible eyewitnesses. Chichi stood stock still, struggling to absorb what had happened, she was sure she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Excuse me, Miss?" A young male officer approached her, pen and paper at the ready. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Chichi didn't even acknowledge him, still completely stunned.

* * *

><p>A large, black SUV pulled up quickly to the scene. The two occupants quickly removed themselves from the vehicle and hastily marched towards the large metal corpse, which was now strewn in many separate pieces across the street. The first of the two arrivals was none other that Dr. Briefs, who obviously hadn't had the time to change from his white medical coat.<p>

The second was a young woman in her mid-twenties with striking blue hair. She was the more eager of the two, her eyes constantly scanning the crowds for someone she recognised. She stopped just outside the cordon and tried desperately to look over the tops of the countless heads in front of her.

"Bulma!" The young woman turned round to face her father. "She's obviously not here, sweetheart. Now come on!" He ducked as low as his back would allow him underneath the police cordons and headed for a closer inspection of the corpse. Bulma took one more desperate glance within the crowds and followed her father in the same manner, all be it a little more gracefully.

"But she has to be!" She replied as she finally caught up with him. "I was just on the phone with her not twenty minutes…before…" She trailed off as her eyes were drawn to the metal creature before them. Dr. Briefs was the epitome of professionalism. "Could you please fetch me my toolkit from the SUV for me please?" He asked the nearby officer calmly, who quickly obeyed his orders and marched off as quickly as he could.

"What beautiful design…" He marvelled as he hitched up his trousers, knelt down and examined the nearby pieces. "This technology is amazing…so advanced…what do you think sweetie?" Bulma quickly knelt down beside him and picked up what appeared to be a large motherboard circuit and passed it through her fingers. "I don't think I've seen anything like this…I mean…the only thing that's ever really come this close is Dr. Gero's android program…but there's no way the two could be related. I mean…this type of machinery isn't his style."

Dr. Brief's humphed loudly. "Yes, after all…his designs have been a little more…_beautiful_ lately." Bulma seemed to be more engrossed in her inspections and appeared to not hear what her father had just said. "We'll have to take it back with us, for a much more detailed examination." She said as she dropped the motherboard back on top of the pile of smouldering machinery.

"I couldn't agree more!" Dr. Briefs grinned as he stood back up to his full height. "Sorry, we won't be needing that anymore!" He gestured with an open hand towards the officer who had retrieved his equipment. "You wouldn't mind putting it back would you sport? And on the way back, grab some of your friends so you can help us load this into the vehicle, humph?" He pointed to the mess of wiring and bent metal at their feet.

The young man wasn't given a chance to reply as he was soon given a large slap on the back. "There's a good lad!" Dr. Briefs grinned as both he and Bulma made their way back to the SUV.

* * *

><p>Chichi pressed her back as hard as she could against the door of the nearby corner shop, trying desperately to keep out of sight. The last thing she wanted right now was an inquisition from Bulma, especially when her mind was in this state of dis-array. She felt awful for hiding away from her own best friend, but she knew that now was not the right time and desperately wanted just to be left alone.<p>

When she was sure the coast was clear, she sneaked from her hiding place and quickly turned into the small alleyway, which separated the corner shop from the hair salon to the left. As she slowly made her way, barely managing to put one foot in front of the other, she couldn't help but get a sense of déjà vu.

Suddenly, there was a distant rattle behind the nearby metal bins. Chichi slowly began to creep towards the two trashcans cautiously and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw what lay before her.


	3. Chapter 3

The mysterious man, to whom she had seen countless times today, was lying with his back against the wall, his right arm lay limp at his side and his left hand was tightly pressing against a wound on his right side. He was obviously in pain, but tried his best to hide it behind a lop-sided grin.

"OK, this whole 'Me getting shocked' thing is really getting tiresome now." Chichi spoke softly, her voice wavering as she folded her arms. A small chuckle rumbled in the young man's chest. "Sorry, I really was trying my best to hide from you!" Chichi couldn't help but smile, "You suck at hide and seek!" The stranger once again chuckled, however it was cut short by a large, painful wince, his left arm suddenly applied further pressure to his wound.

Realisation suddenly dawned on Chichi through the shock. "You're hurt!" She immediately moved to the man's side and dropped to her knees. "Let me see." The stranger's eyes widened and he began to scoot along the floor in the opposite direction. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Chichi sighed in slight annoyance. "I'm a Nurse, I can help you!" She softly placed her small hands on top of his large one, both of them blushing at the simultaneous rush of heat.

Looking up, Chichi suddenly realised how close the two of them were, their noses only centimetres apart, once again finding herself lost in his dark eyes. "Please?" She whispered, knowing that he could hear her due to their close proximity. After a few seconds the young man suddenly broke the gaze by looking down to the floor, he slowly removed his left hand from his right side, wincing at the release in pressure.

Once the hand was removed Chichi could see the extent of his injury, a large deep laceration crossed diagonally on his right side, due to the pressure that had been applied any bleeding had been reduced to a slow ooze. She softly placed a hand just above the wound, causing the man to yelp slightly, Chichi jumping slightly in shock. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He panted, the wound obviously very painful. "It'll teach me to dodge better next time! That thing definitely needed its claws clipped!"

"It'll need a thorough clean, it could be infected, and with it being as deep and as big as it is it will definitely need stitches to aid healing." The young man blinked, the innocent look that he perfected so well yet again written on his face. "What does that mean?" Chichi suddenly stood to her feet, dusting the dirt from her clothes. Once finished she stood in front of him, holding out a hand. "Can you walk?"

* * *

><p>It was dark and quiet on Ward 7, the only sound that could be heard was the footsteps of Launch as she made her rounds of her sleeping patients, checking all monitors and fluid drivers were in use and working efficiently. It was now past 10 in the evening and she was nearing the end of her 12 hour shift. Exhausted, she made her way through the glass door leading to the outside corridor, taking care to close it gently so as not to wake the sleeping occupants.<p>

Making her way slowly to the Nurses office, a sudden yelp of pain could be heard through the corridor. Launch could see a pair of silhouettes through the frosted glass of one of the Doctor's consulting rooms at the far end of the corridor. _This better not be someone stealing medical supplies again!_ Launch thought to herself as she straightened out her uniform and strode with conviction towards the consulting room.

* * *

><p>"OWWWW!" The young man yelped again as Chichi applied another large amount of liquid antiseptic into his wound via a large syringe. "Will you be quiet!" She whispered loudly as she picked up a large kidney dish filled with more antiseptic from the nearby instrument table and placed it on the examination table where the young man was now sitting. "You're going to get us caught!" She picked up a small pile of swabs and soaked it in the antiseptic and began to clean his wound further.<p>

"I can't help it!" He muttered through gritted teeth. "It stings like hell!" Chichi stood to her full height and placed the used swabs in the clinical waste bin and turned to face him. "Pain is good! It means it's working properly!" She smiled and reached for another pile of swabs to continue cleaning. "...Great." He muttered, taking a quick glance at the wound on his left side. "Ergh...is my skin _supposed_ to be that colour?"

"Yeah, it's Iodine, it's normal for there to be some skin staining." She explained as he began to wince yet again. Once finished Chichi yet again disposed of her used swabs and stood back to admire her work. "I think that's as clean as I'm going to get it!"

"Good!" He replied loudly. Chichi placed her hands roughly onto her hips and shot him a frown. "Honestly! How can someone as..." Chichi paused to admire the young man's now naked muscular chest "..._well-built_ as you be such a baby!" The young man opened his mouth in reply but before he could even speak the door behind him opened with a large amount of force to reveal Launch, standing in the doorway with a large dinner tray held over her head ready to strike.

"HEY YOU!" She screamed at the back of the young man's head. "Launch! Calm down it's me!" Chichi shouted as she moved from in front of the young man to reveal herself to Launch, her hands held in front of her in surrender. "Chichi?" Launch whispered, lowering the tray quickly and placing it softly onto the floor to the side of her. "What are you doing here! You're not on shift! You shouldn't be here!" Launch looked to the side of Chichi to take in the man sat casually on the examination table and then set her sights back to Chichi. "Not to mention you are not supposed to bring non staff-members!"

"He's injured!" Chichi protested, pointing to the large wound on his side. "Please Launch! I've already cleaned it thoroughly, I just need to put a few stitches in and then we'll be gone...please?" Chichi pleaded, Launch frowned. "...OK...I'll try to keep the other staff out of the way but I won't be able to do it for long. You've got 30 minutes, OK?" Chichi grinned happily. "Yes! Thank you Launch! I'll pay you back big time!" Launch smiled. "Don't worry Chi, what are friends for? Besides..." Launch leaned forward so only Chichi could hear. "He's cute! Go for it, Chi!" Winking, Launch turned and headed for the door, closing it softly and leaving a very flushed and embarrassed Chichi behind her.

"Who was that?" The man asked as Chichi tried to return her composure. "That was...er...Launch, another nurse." Chichi turned and opened a nearby draw and picked up a small box of suture material. "OK, I'm going to put some stitches in your wound now...ergh" Chichi suddenly realised she had no idea what this man's name was. "Kakarot." He added, as if reading her mind. "My name's Kakarot!" He repeated, a big goofy grin covered his face. Chichi blushed again realising that Launch was right, he was _very_ cute...especially with his shirt off.

"Right!" She said her eyes purposefully trying to avoid everything else but the wound. "I'll try to be as gentle as possible but the needle might sting a bit." Kakarot chuckled. "That's fine! I can handle _this_ kind of needle!" Chichi smiled and began to place the first stitch... "So...I'm cute huh?" The room once again filled with the sound of Kakarot's yelping.

* * *

><p>"You have the ears of a bat!"<p>

"Well you shouldn't have been talking so loud!"

"We were whispering! Besides, I didn't even say anything!" The pair were now walking down the deserted main street, their way illuminated by the street lights. Due to Kakarot's large strides Chichi was increasingly having difficulty keeping up.

"Are you limping?" Kakarot asked, now beginning to notice Chichi's strange gait. "Yeah, I fell over some stupid metal feather-thing early this morning and what with running for my life and lugging you to the hospital I think I might have made it even worse." Kakarot stopped mid-stride and shot her quite an authorative look. "Oh don't look at me like that, you're worse than my father! I'll rest it when I eventually get home." She mumbled as she continued walking.

She was suddenly stopped in her stride due to Kakarot's gentle but firm hand placed on her right shoulder. "Metal feather?" he asked. "Yeah, found it this morning on my way to work. I was running late so I took a shortcut through an alleyway and I was too busy looking at my watch to see where I was going and – " Chichi suddenly paused. "It was from the metal bird-thing wasn't it?" She whispered, a nervous look now written all across her face, a stark contrast to Kakarot's frown.

"Chichi, I don't mean to scare you but it's important that we find that feather!" Which alleyway was it?" Chichi began to look round violently. "It's one of the alleyways along this street!" Chichi's eyes caught a particular alleyway. "That one there!" She pointed forcefully as Kakarot swiftly reached for his scouter over his left eye. Turning the gadget on with the flick of a button it immediately beeped into life and a set of calculations flashed across its screen.

"I'm getting a small energy trace, it's faint but it's definitely there." Chichi edged closer to Kakarot for protection, a small shiver of fear shot through her body. "You don't mean...another one of those things isn't going to pop out of it and come looking for revenge for killing its dad now is it?"

Kakarot gave her a puzzled expression. "What? Nah! Any piece of machinery that's lost from the main creature immediately becomes a homing beacon for re-enforcements when the signal between the two is lost. I destroyed the bird, feather loses the signal so begins charging up an SOS signal."

Chichi looked at the alleyway and then back to Kakarot. "So, what's the plan?"

"I destroy the feather, SOS signal stops."

"And that's it?"

"Yep!"

He smiled widely, a big goofy grin. He began to confidently make his way towards the alleyway. "But what if another one of those things has heard the signal?" Chichi asked, now nervous again. "Don't worry!" Kakarot waved over his shoulder, not even bothering to turn around. "The signal's still very weak, wouldn't have even made it passed your planetary system!"

Chichi continued to watch Kakarot until his form quickly disappeared into the dark alleyway. "Do you need any help?" She shouted nervously as Kakarot's voice echoed back a reply. "No! It'll only take me a few seconds! Just stay where you are!" There was a moment of absolute silence and a shout of "Aha!" marking the moment Kakarot finally found the device. With a flash of light and a small bang Kakarot marched triumphant from the alley, clapping his hands together as if removing dust. "Done!" He announced, the goofy grin returning to his face.

"Well that was a bit anti-climatic!" Chichi whispered as Kakarot returned to her side. "I'm off to sleep!" He continued, oblivious to what Chichi had just said and walked straight past her. "WAIT! That's it?" Kakarot stopped and turned to face her. "Well what else did you expect?" He asked confused. "Umm, well..." Chichi was practically speechless, all she could do was stare at his face, her heart began to flutter rapidly. "...Where are you staying?" Eventually managing to squeeze out a sentence.

Kakarot too appeared speechless, unable to take his unblinking eyes off Chichi, a slight smile on his face. "Nothing special, just a big branch of a tree really!" He shrugged his shoulders and continued his gaze. "A tree! You're sleeping in a tree?" Kakarot laughed. "Well it suits me!" He laughed again whilst rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. Chichi suddenly appeared very nervous, squirming slightly on the spot and a soft blush forming on her cheeks. "I don't normally do this but...with you saving my life and all I kinda trust you so...there's a spare mattress back at my flat if you want somewhere to...y'know...crash?"

Kakarot dropped his hand back to his side, the slight smile returned to his face as he took in Chichi's current composure. "Yeah? That would be nice..." Chichi looked up from her feet. "Really?" She asked, replying more eagerly than she was supposed to. Kakarot's face dropped suddenly from a smile to a sad frown. "...I can't...It'll be safer for you if I stay as far away from you as possible." Chichi blew a stray clump of hair from her face in annoyance. "Well, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be alive right now...please reconsider?"

Kakarot felt a strong connection to her at that moment, watching her pleading him to return to her home with her gave him a warm fuzzy feeling, something he had never felt before. He smiled warmly back at her, feeling a jolt down his spine when she too smiled in reply. "Chichi, there's something you need to know about me... I'm not –" Before he could say another word a large rumble echoed between the two, Kakarot blushed furiously and gripped his stomach in a futile hope to muffle the sound.

The air was then filled with the sound of Chichi's laughter, she couldn't hold back from the cute sight before her. Kakarot's blush deepened even further, both from embarrassment and at the thought of how much he enjoyed the sound of her laughter. "You hungry?" She asked when she finally regained control a few moments later, Kakarot merely nodding, a big goofy grin plastered across his face, his right hand returning behind his head. "I have a full fridge of food back in my flat..." Kakarot quickly opened his mouth to speak. "But before you say anything!" She interrupted "You can have something to eat first and then decide whether or not you'll stay. I would like to think you'll find it more comfortable than a branch or I would be highly insulted!"

She shone Kakarot another bright smile to show she wasn't serious and continued to walk in the direction they both were previously. "Come on! It's this way!" She shouted over her shoulder, trying to walk normally and to disguise her limp as much as possible. Kakarot smiled happily to himself as he watched her walk away. _This one's feisty!_ He thought to himself as his eyes took in her full figure. He blushed furiously. _What the Hell am I doing! I've never done anything like this before!_ He shook the thoughts from his head and followed Chichi down the street.


	4. Chapter 4

"So I take it by the way that you're trying to lick the pattern from my plate that you enjoyed my food?" The pair were now back in Chichi's apartment, seated on opposite ends of the dining table, Chichi watching in fascination between a mountain of dirty plates. Kakarot held a large dinner plate in both hands and was licking what remained of Spaghetti Bolognese, sauce all around his mouth. Sighing in content he placed the plate down in front of him with a small thud and wiped his mouth clean with his sleeve. "That was amazing! You cooked that all by yourself?"

"Yep! Can't beat a good Spag Bol' after a busy day!" She replied as she collected the dirty dishes and placed them gently into the nearby kitchen sink. "Man!" Kakarot leant back fully in his chair, rubbing his stomach in content. "I can't remember the last time I ate a proper meal!" Placing the plug into the bottom of the sink and letting the hot water run Chichi turned her head slightly. "The bathroom's just through the door to your left if you want to take a shower?"

"Great!" He launched himself from the chair and onto his feet, making his way straight towards the bathroom. He quickly halted before opening the door, his hand resting softly on the door handle. _I need to tell her the truth_ "Hey, Chichi?" He asked quietly, suddenly very nervous as he watched her scrub ferociously at a dirty pan, she stopped what she was doing immediately and dried her hands on a nearby hand towel. "Do you remember early back when we were on the street and I tried to tell you something before my gut got in the way?"

Chichi was suddenly puzzled and curious. "Yeah?" Kakarot was quickly serious. "I need to tell you something...and I think you should sit down for it." Chichi swallowed hard, his appearance making her feel very anxious and scared, the idea of her inviting a stranger into her home hit her like a ton of bricks. _How could I have been so stupid? What if he's a convict on the run and I'm his new hostage!_ It was as if Kakarot could read her mind. "Don't worry! I'm not going to hurt you! I promise!" He held his hands up in front of him in mock surrender as Chichi slowly made her way to a couch in the living room behind him.

"Chichi, I feel like I owe you for being so kind to me. You're the first person I've spoken to properly in such a long time and I feel like I owe you the truth. I don't want to lie to you anymore and pretend to be someone..._something _I'm not." Chichi's breathing became shallow. "Kakarot, you're starting to worry me now..." She whispered. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly Kakarot moved and sat directly next to Chichi. "I'm not from around here."

"Right...So you're, what? An illegal immigrant? It explains the slight accent you have I suppose..." Kakarot chuckled and smiled shyly. "When I say I'm not from around here I mean that I'm...not from this planet...I'm an alien, Chi." Chichi couldn't do anything but stare unblinkingly into space, Kakarot worryingly watching her, fighting the urge to place a comforting arm across her shoulders. "Are you OK?" He asked after a couple of minutes of silence. "...The SOS-thing, planetary systems, that machine you use...It explains how you knew so much about the bird..." _This is absolutely ridiculous! There's no way there is an alien sitting in my living room!_ She thought to herself. _...But why do I find myself wanting to believe him?_

"Um...do you want a moment alone or something?" Kakarot asked, unsure of what to do next. "I understand that Eathlings haven't had much contact with beings from other worlds so I understand your shock...maybe it's best if I leave, I don't want to upset you any more than what I have done...I'm sorry." He stood back on his feet and sadly headed towards the front door of the apartment. _Great, now she doesn't want to talk to me, the sight of me probably makes her sick, why did I open my stupid big mouth!_

"Prove it." Kakarot whirled round to face Chichi, still sitting in the same position on the sofa as he had left her moments previous. "What?" He had heard exactly what she had said even though it was more of a whisper. Regaining her composure Chichi sat up straight and looked him straight in the eyes, he could see how sad and lost she felt by looking at the expression on her face, he felt like kicking himself for putting her through this after everything she had seen today already.

"I said prove it...please?" It broke Kakarot's heart to see her look so lost. He immediately began to scratch the back of his head in deep thought, his eyebrows raised when an idea finally formed in his mind. "OK then!" He then lowered his hand from his head and reached into his pants. "WHOA! Listen if that's the kind of proof you've got then you can think again, Buddy!" Kakarot looked up from his pants to Chichi, completely oblivious, an innocent look written across his face. "So you don't want to see my proof?" Lifting his right hand from his pants he pulled what appeared to be a long, brown, fuzzy tail.

"No way!" Chichi watched in awe as Kakarot freed his tail from the confines of his pants and let it stretch freely behind him. "You've got a monkey tail?" A look of relief spread across his face as he stretched out the kinks, he grinned happily at Chichi. "You have no idea how long I've had it wrapped up for! What with Humans not having tails and all I wouldn't have been able to blend in if I had it on show! So...what do you think?" Chichi was completely transfixed. "It's not real!"

"Huh?" Chichi leapt from her position on the sofa and stopped directly in front of Kakarot's tail, bending down to get an up-close look. Raising a hand she looked up expectantly at Kakarot. "Can I touch it?" He blushed a furious red. "Hey Chi, I don't think that's a good idea! Where I come from that – " Chichi wasn't listening and reached out to gently grasp the twitching tail in front of her.

Kakarot had to do everything in his power to stop himself from moaning, he could feel all of his energy drain from his body and his legs turn to jelly. Chichi was too preoccupied with the strange alien limb before her to notice the dopey, heavy-lidded appearance of Kakarot. "It's so soft..." She whispered to herself as she continued the soft strokes gently up and down, as if she was stroking a puppy. "So is it like a monkey tail or is it more for –". Chichi immediately stopped mid-sentence and dropped the tail from her grasp when she eventually noticed the effect she was causing.

"I am SO sorry! I-I didn't mean to...I didn't realise it would -!" As soon as the touch on his tail was relinquished Kakarot shook his head wildly, brushing certain feelings and thoughts from his mind. "It's OK!" He smiled, the blush still covering his cheeks. "You didn't know! I'm just glad you stopped when you did!" Chichi could no longer look him in the eye. "Well I guess there's no arguing that it isn't real then!" There was an awkward silence now between the two, neither of them knowing what to say that could break it.

"So..."

"So?"

"Do you believe me then?" Kakarot asked, now suddenly becoming extremely nervous yet again. For some reason that he did not know yet, Chichi's reaction meant a great deal to him. "I guess so, which is strange...since it's not often that I have a Martian as a houseguest!" Kakarot chuckled slightly, pleased at how well she was taking the news. "I'm not from Mars." He watched her as she yet again sat down on the sofa, he followed her taking a seat by her side. "So where are you from then?" Kakarot sighed. "That doesn't matter, the important thing is, is that I am never going back there!"

Chichi turned to face him. "What do you mean?" Kakarot stood back on his feet and began to pace back and forth in front of her. "I suppose you could say I'm a bit of a traveller, Earth was a bit of a rest-stop for me, chance to rest, get some sleep and something to eat before I head off again." Chichi too stood to her feet. "Do you travel alone?" Kakarot smiled shyly, getting a slight hint as to why she would be asking such a question. "Yeah..."

Chichi couldn't deny that this answer didn't please her slightly. "...Don't you get lonely?" Kakarot chuckled. "You kidding! All the people that I meet, the planets I visit! ...Of course I get lonely." He suddenly appeared very sad. "I'm telling you all this because I'm leaving tomorrow. It's best if I don't stick around too long...I'd bring too much attention to this planet." Chichi's heart sank like a ton of bricks. "Where are you going?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know yet, most likely somewhere with a strong Ki signature."

"Will you be coming back?" Kakarot gazed at the floor. "...Maybe. Not sure." Chichi suddenly felt herself becoming upset. _Why am I acting like this? I've only known the guy five minutes!_ "Look, I've got work tomorrow so...the mattress is in the closet over there with a spare blanket and pillow. I'll see you in the morning." Chichi left the room as quick as she could, worried she might become visibly upset at any moment. "Wait! Chichi!" The door closed behind her leaving Kakarot alone.

* * *

><p>Chichi felt as if she had fallen back to Earth with a bump, with yesterday feeling as if it were a million miles away. Escaping from the clutches of an evil machine creature and speaking of travelling through space with an alien to completing a nursing care plan for a newly-admitted patient. Her thoughts were interrupted by a large bang on the counter-top of the nurses booth. Launch stood in front of her with a large grin on her face, Chichi could see that the cause of the noise was due to the large number of files now positioned in front of her.<p>

"Spill!" Launch grinned as she walked as quickly as she could around the desk and dragged a chair to sit next to her. "There's nothing to tell." Chichi replied sadly. "What do you mean? I catch you with a gorgeous, half-naked man - who I might add had the abs capable of grating cheese! – and you're telling me nothing happened?" Chichi sighed. "Yep!" Launch frowned. "You mean you didn't even ask him back to your place in way of paying you back for stitching the guy back up? Beginner's mistake Chi!"

Chichi stood to her feet, the now completed nursing care plan in her hands. "I did invite him back Launch, I woke up this morning to find my living room window open and him gone." Launch too stood to her feet, she placed a comforting arm across Chichi's shoulders. "Oh, Chichi! I'm so sorry! I didn't realise! Men that pull the whole 'Bang-and-Run' thing are just pathetic!" Chichi walked out of her hug, making her way to the other-side of the booth. "There was no 'Banging' Launch. We talked, he told me and showed me things and...well I really thought he trusted me and maybe even...cared for me, y'know?"

Launch could see how visibly upset the young woman was in front of her. "Oh, Chichi! If he's the man you think he is then he'll be back, crawling on his knees no doubt hoping you'll forgive him!" Chichi smiled slightly. "Launch...I don't think he'll be coming back..." Chichi turned and walked towards one of the nearby wards, Launch watching her disappear as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. "Oh! I really must stop being so over-emotional!" Launch whispered as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

Opening the swing doors of Ward 9, Chichi glanced at the care plan in her hand for the name of the newly-admitted patient. _Great, another wise-cracking fake name!_ "I'm looking for a Son Goku?" She called, the five patients who had already been present in the Ward for a number of days chuckled at her call, all but the sixth patient. "Right here!" Chichi practically choked from shock when the newly-admitted patient was none other than Kakarot! He lay flat out on the bed beneath the sheets, his head-rest propped up allowing him to lay in a sitting-up position. "I was wondering where you were!"

Chichi marched up to his bed and drew the curtains fully so they were both given privacy from the other patients. "What are you doing here!" She asked, she couldn't help but feel that yesterday was like a dream, so seeing Kakarot sat before her with his dopey grin was almost as if seeing a character from a story come to life. "Well I just feel, well, y'know...BLAH!" He stuck his tongue out in emphasis. Chichi took another glance at the care plan she had just completed. "It says here you're also suffering from excruciating abdominal pain?"

"Oh yeah!" He gripped his stomach with both hands. "Excruciating!" He rocked from side to side with the occasional groan. The frown quickly disappeared from her face, her anger dissipating yet again in his presence. "Why are you really here?"

"I wanted to see what life as a Human was like before I left...what with me maybe not coming back..." Chichi looked directly to his sheets, joining the dotted pattern of his covers. "If you're an alien how do you know about 'Journey to the West'? I'm guessing that's where you got the name from?" Kakarot placed both hands behind his head in a casual manner. "I had a look at your books before I left, saw the guy in one was 'the monkey king' and thought the name kinda suited me!"

Chichi laughed softly, trying to hide how sad she felt at the idea of him leaving. "So...you may not be coming back?" She asked, Kakarot sat up straight and shuffled slightly to be closer to her. "Yeah..." He replied, spotting how she had placed a hand onto his bed to support her weight. "I'd...quite like it if...you did come back..." She continued. He placed a hand gently on top of hers. She looked up to see his face was merely a few millimetres away from hers, staring straight into her eyes. "...Come with me."

"What?" She asked breathless, fighting the sudden urge to close the distance between the two of them. "Come with me. I did some thinking last night and I think you'll really love it! I know you will! You're different from all the people I've ever met!" He blushed and suddenly became embarrassed. "You're the only person I've asked and...you're the only person I've wanted to travel with before..." Her heart skipped a beat at the possibilities that lay before her, before she could even form a decision in her mind, however, the curtains that blocked the outside world suddenly burst open to reveal the matron.


	5. Chapter 5

"Student Nurse Chichi!" At the sound of the matron's icy voice Chichi stood bolt upright and turned to face her superior. "What do you think you are doing?" Chichi's tongue fumbled over words that she could no longer form coherently. "You should be completing admission procedures for this patient, not flirting behind closed curtains! This is not the behaviour I would expect from a woman who wishes to make nursing her full-time career!" Chichi hung her head and mumbled a "Sorry matron Snake."

The matron cast a glance at the nursing care plan that was abandoned on the end of the bed. Picking up the document she scanned across the information written across its pages and scowled. "And might I also add that this care plan is missing one vital piece of information!" She pointed a finger at Kakarot. "This gentleman sustained an injury to his right flank yesterday evening which required surgical suturing, yet I fail to see this recorded as part of his hospital care!" She dropped the plan forcefully onto the bed next to Chichi to emphasise her disgust. "Please complete a new care plan _correctly_ this time!"

"Man! What crawled up her ass!" Goku whispered when the matron was out of earshot. "Is she always like that?" Chichi picked up the care plan from the bed and nodded. "Yep! I think she's got it out for me! I know she doesn't like me but I wish she would try her best to hide it when there are people around." Kakarot felt a sudden urge to protect the young woman in front of him, a similar urge he felt when he saw her attacked the previous day. "Stand up for yourself! C'mon! Where's that Human fighting spirit!"

"If I stand up to her she could get me fired! I'm still training to be a Nurse, I'm in my final year now so if I get fired than all that effort would be wasted!" She sighed and smiled sadly at Kakarot, turning to move and continue her work, however due to her distracted state she mistakenly clipped a cup of water placed on a near-by table, causing the glass to spill its contents all over the floor. This mistake was failed to be missed by the matron.

"For goodness sake, girl! Can you not do anything right! Clean this mess up and report to my office!" Kakarot's words repeated over and over in her mind until she felt a mental snap in her subconscious. Chichi watched the matron as she walked to the doors exiting to the corridor and stomped to the centre of the Ward, her fists clenched at her side. "MATRON!" The woman in question halted in her stride and turned to the young nurse. "I would like to place my application for a leave of absence to take a gap-year."

The matron scoffed. "Do you really think that your lack-lustre performance in my department today will convince me that you are suitable for such a reward?" Chichi's heart pounded in her chest but she stood her ground, years of being pushed round by this woman and Kakarot's support were suddenly giving her courage to stand up for herself. The matron continued her tirade. "In order to be granted a year's leave of absence you must receive a reference from myself and I really don't believe that you have worked hard enough to have earned it!"

The matron turned her back on Chichi. "In my Office, immediately!" Chichi turned her head to look at Kakarot, who was currently mouthing the words "Go on!" in Chichi's direction. As she had her head turned she did not notice the appearance of Dr. Briefs, who had overheard the commotion in the corridor. "Excuse me, but I could not help to overhear the little discussion that was taking place here."

"I'm sorry Dr. but this discussion does not concern you and has been dealt with accordingly." Dr. Brief's moustache ruffled as he cleared his throat. "Well now I believe it does! And if you are not willing to give this young lady a suitable reference then I will." The matron seethed. "How dare you think you can over-rule my decision!" Dr. Brief's was completely unfazed and remained casual. "There is no over-rule about it! I don't ever use my rank for my own gain but I do believe that I am at a much higher level of employment than you!"

Dr. Briefs' turned and smiled sweetly at Chichi, almost father-like. "I hope you will drop us a postcard. Bulma will be thrilled at your news!" Dr. Briefs turned back to the matron. "Is there anything else you would like to discuss, matron?" There was no response as she slammed open the doors and disappeared into the corridor. Chichi stood, completely astonished. _I...won?_ Chichi's thoughts were cut short by Kakarot 'Whooping' from his hospital bed, his arms straight up above his head in victory.

"Now then, back to the grind!" Dr. Briefs smiled as he strode over to Kakarot's bed and took a glance at his clinical history. "Now then, young man. Your current condition is a little bit of a mystery, is it not?" Kakarot grinned. "Oh, you have no idea!" Kakarot winked at Chichi, who was so high as a kite she laughed loudly. "In order to discover any clues as to what may be causing the symptoms I would like to run some haematological and biochemical blood tests as soon as possible." Kakarot's grin disappeared quickly and the colour drained from his face.

"B-Blood tests?" Dr. Briefs turned to Chichi. "Nurse! I would like for you to begin your leave of absence as of tomorrow? Does that suit?" Chichi was too happy to speak, so simply nodded. "Excellent! Seeing as you are still on shift would you mind collecting a pair of 22 gauge needles and a pair of heparin and EDTA Vacutainers for me please?" Kakarot sat bolt upright in bed and threw the sheets straight from the bed. "Hey! You know I feel a whole lot better!" He stood from the bed and reached down into the cupboard allocated to his bed and pulled out his upper body armour and blue uniform.

"Now young man, I really must insist that you get back into bed!" Kakarot held his clothing under one arm and opened the nearby window with the other, the sudden gust of wind blowing patients information and hospital charts around the Ward in a small tornado. "Nah, there's no need! You've cured me! See! Absolutely fine!" He shot the Doctor a broad grin. "Kakarot, what do you think you're doing! You can't jump out that window, we're nine floors up! You'll kill yourself!" Kakarot dropped his head to Chichi's eye level, causing her to blush from the close contact. "I'll see you at those set of mountains –" He pointed to the nearby mountain range "- tomorrow morning! Be prepared!" And with that he propelled himself out the window and hovered, the wind whipping violently through his spiky hair. _No Way! That's impossible!_ Chichi could do nothing but laugh. "This is insane! You can fly!"

"Get a good night's sleep, if you can! You're gonna need it! You're gonna love all the stuff I'm gonna show you Chi!" With a simple salute he disappeared, leaving nothing but a strong breeze blowing through the Ward.

* * *

><p>"...<em>Hello! You have reached the Mao residence! Please leave a message after the beep!"<em> Chichi held the phone to her ear as she feverishly packed a large backpack with clothes. "Hi Dad! I should have called you sooner to let you know the news but...well I just didn't know how to tell you so I'm just going to come straight out with it!" Cradling the phone to her ear she quickly rushed into the bathroom and grabbed whatever was close to hand and then disappeared back into her bedroom to force the items into her overflowing backpack.

"I've been accepted to take a Gap Year and I've been offered an amazing opportunity which will never come along again, once in a lifetime so I hope you'll understand." She quickly zipped the bag closed and threw it heavily over her shoulder with a grunt, not expecting the huge weight. "Where I'm going there's probably no way for me to contact you so this might be the last time we ever talk for some time...Oh I wished I'd called last night!" Tears quickly started to form as Chichi realised she wouldn't speak or see her father for at least another year. _This is going to break his heart! But I can't let this go, I have to do this!_

"I love you Daddy and I'm going to miss you so much! ...Bye." Cutting the call Chichi stared at the phone in her hand and let the tears flow. A buzz sounded through the apartment to indicate her taxi had arrived. Running as quickly as the heavy backpack would allow her she quickly had one last glance round her apartment, flicked off the lights and locked the door behind her.

The elevator pinged as it reached the ground floor foyer, a middle-aged man with visible stubble and a flat cap greeted her with a slight nod. "Chichi Mao?" Chichi smiled. "That's me! Mount Paozu, please!" The taxi driver kindly took her backpack from her and led her to the bright yellow car outside. Getting into the backseat and shutting the door behind her, Chichi couldn't help but look up at the apartment building and feel a sense of adventure building up inside her, ready to burst. _Here I come!_

* * *

><p>"You sure this is the spot, sweetheart?" Chichi was already out the car and shutting the door before he could finish. "Yeah, he said he would meet me here." The taxi driver pressed a button on his dashboard and the trunk of the car popped open. With a heave Chichi pulled her backpack out of it and let it fall to the floor with a thud, making sure to close the trunk after her. Leaving it on the floor she quickly closed the trunk and made her way to the driver, handing him his money through the open window. "You take care now, sweetheart. Don't hang round here too long!"<p>

Chichi smiled down at the man. "My friend said he would meet me here, he shouldn't be too long now!" She turned and felt in awe at the scene before her, small peaks and mountains jutted into the air through the cool morning mists, the breeze carrying the sweet smell of flowers and pine to her nose, numerous birds flew before her with their calls sounding through the range. The sound of an engine echoed loudly through the trees and with a poof of smoke from his exhaust the taxi was gone, leaving Chichi all alone.

"Man! I thought he would never leave!" Chichi turned 180 degrees on the spot to see Kakarot standing in the exact position the taxi cab was not moments ago. "How do you do that?" She asked breathless, a hand over her chest in a futile attempt to slow her beating heart. Kakarot chuckled. "You'll find out soon enough!" Chichi took a moment to fully take in his appearance. What with all the events that had unfolded the past two days her brain had not had the chance to fully register Kakarot's appearance. "Do you always dress like that?" She asked as she pointed mainly at Kakarot's chest armour.

Looking down at himself and then back up to Chichi he grinned widely. "This is normal attire back home! My people are a warrior race so we wear clothes that suit our needs!" He patted his chest armour with both hands. "This only protects against basic attacks, couldn't withstand heavy assault...but it's better than nothing!" Chichi blushed furiously. "But does it have to be so...tight!" The comment also caused Kakarot to blush furiously and scratch his head. "Well, it's designed to keep the wearer warm in cold weather and...it's tight so that if you're in battle your opponent can't grab a hold of it! ...Don't you like it?"

"Um...yeah, It's alright...it suits you." Kakarot smirked. "I didn't realise you were paying so much attention to what I was wearing!" Chichi coughed violently and turned her head so he couldn't see the shade of crimson that her face had now become. "So...where's this spaceship of yours then?" Kakarot took a couple of long strides and stood side by side to Chichi. "There is no spaceship." At those words Chichi felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. "There's...no spaceship?"

"Nope!" Chichi felt like she was going to burst into tears. "I should have known! You've been playing me for a fool all along, haven't you?" Kakarot did not expect this. "How could I have been stupid enough to believe this, it was obviously a joke! Of course you're not a space-travelling alien!" Kakarot eventually understood. "No, wait! Chichi! There isn't a spaceship because I don't need one!" Chichi laughed out of sheer anger. "Well excuse me! I'm just such a dumb Human to think you might need a spaceship to go travelling around the universe!"

"Not dumb! You just don't know yet!" He stood tall and smiled warmly. "I can teleport!" At that precise moment, Chichi felt like she was about to have a stroke. "Of course you can..." She spoke calmly as if speaking to a mental patient. "I'm just going to go back home now I, uh, forgot my shoes!" As Chichi turned away from him to pick up her backpack there was a large gust of wind which almost knocked Chichi from her feet. "You mean these!"

Kakarot triumphantly held up a pair of fuzzy slippers in his right hand, his left held behind his back. Chichi was awestruck. "There is no way -! How did you do that I mean – That's not even possible!" Chichi snatched the slippers from him for a closer inspection, realising that they were indeed _her_ slippers. "I also picked this little guy up too!" Kakarot brought his left hand from behind his back to reveal a Monkey soft toy. "Just in case you get home sick!"

A lump caught in Chichi's throat at the sight of the little monkey. "I've had that toy for as long as I can remember..." She dropped the slippers to the floor, completely forgotten. Taking the toy into her grasp she gave it a tight hug. "He's cute! We don't have anything like that back home! He gotta name?" Chichi laughed at the thought. "Goku, actually!" Kakarot placed his hands on his hips and watched the cute display before him. "That's a great name. Couldn't have picked better myself!"

"Right then, Goku! Let's put you away for now!" She opened her backpack and placed the toy monkey as gently as she could into the bag and zipped him up. Due to the lack of room his head poked up through the zipper. "You can be our good luck charm!" A jolt of electricity shot through Chichi's left arm when she felt Kakarot's hand take a tight hold of hers. "You ready, Chi?" She nodded, unable to form any words. "Take one last look, this is going to be the last time you're stood on planet Earth for a long time!"

Chichi closed her eyes and took one long inhale through her nose taking her last scent of home with her as the two disappeared into the unknown.


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing Chichi noticed was the sudden change in temperature, comparing the new sensation to when she had stepped off an airplane for the first time when taking a summer vacation abroad as a child. The slightest of breezes brushed through her hair, she could still feel Kakarot's hand in hers. She increased her grip, recognising how tight it was now but considering she had previously seen him throw a 15 ton behemoth into a skyscraper she didn't think it would bother him.

"Get a load of that view!" Chichi still kept her eyes tight shut, she hadn't even exhaled the lung-full of air she had taken from Earth before they left. She could hear Kakarot's feet shift to the side of her. "C'mon, Chi! Open your eyes, take a look!" Chichi shook her head. "Chichi breathe! You're starting to turn blue!" She shook her head again. Chichi could feel him trying to let go of her hand but she wouldn't let him, retaining her iron-strong grip as he gently tried to shake her hand loose. "I keep forgetting this is your first time!" He muttered to himself.

"OK! We'll take this a step at a time. On three, I want you to slowly breathe when I say...One...Two..." Chichi's life practically flashed before her eyes. "Three!" Releasing all of the air in her lungs in one quick burst, her lungs quickly screamed for oxygen, involuntarily she inhaled a large gulp of air, relief sweeping over her when she discovered she could breathe freely in this environment. She could hear Kakarot sighing in relief next to her. "Now you can't tell me that's not better! You had me worried there for a second!" Chichi waited until her breathing slowed to normal before daring to speak.

"I was scared! I thought I might suffocate!" Kakarot chuckled. "Nah! I only visit planet's that have a Ki signature which means there's people about which means that there's a breathable atmosphere!" Chichi frowned, her eyes still tightly closed. "Well it would have been nice to have been told that sooner!"

"Yeah sorry about that...You gonna open your eyes yet? Seeing new planets and people for the first time is the whole reason you came wasn't it? Can't do that with your eyes closed now, can ya?" Keeping her eyes closed, Chichi angled her head to the left in the direction where Kakarot's voice was coming from. "You ask an awful lot of questions, monkey man!" Chichi replied, smiling at the memory of their first meeting. "You want me to do the countdown again?" Chichi took a deep inhale of the alien air, catching a musty scent in her nose.

Chichi nodded forcefully. _It's now or never!_ Her heart raced as Kakarot began his countdown again. "Three...Two...One!" Chichi's breath caught in her throat as she opened her eyes and took in the new sights that were before her. A fuscia pink sky hung over their heads, connecting with a yellow, dry, rocky, sandy almost desert-like ground. There were no mountains in sight, however there were what appeared to be large boulders dotted here and there providing texture to the planet's surface. What had truly caught Chichi's attention was what was now hanging in the sky before them.

"Are those two suns?" Kakarot moved his gaze from Chichi's face to the point where she was now staring. "Yeah! You're actually quite lucky to see that on your first trip, it's really rare!" Chichi's nervousness was now suddenly replaced with excitement, dropping her backpack onto the floor and finally releasing her death-grip on Kakarot's hand she took a large jump forward, she could feel the solid ground beneath her and watched as the dust smoked in tiny clouds around her feet.

"I am standing on an actual alien planet!" She grinned from ear to ear and turned around to face Kakarot who was happily watching her. "And?" He smiled. She took another deep breath in. "And it stinks!" He laughed loudly as he picked up Chichi's backpack and walked towards her. "Well what d'ya say that we do some exploring?" Chichi squealed and in a moment of excitement she wrapped her arms round Kakarot's neck and hugged him tightly. Kakarot suddenly felt extremely hot and then disappointed when Chichi released her hug. She looked up at him and shone him the biggest smile she could muster. "Thank you!"

He blushed vividly and yet again rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Ah it's nothing!" Taking in the sights around her a question suddenly formed in Chichi's mind. "You said before that we only go to planets where there are people, right?" Kakarot stopped rubbing the back of his head but kept his hand where it was. "Yeah..." Chichi raised her hands and had another look around her. "Then where are all the people?"

Kakarot folded his arms in front of him and smirked. "That's the thing! I had a feel around for suitable planets to take you to last night and found this one. I couldn't feel individual ki signatures _as such_ but I did feel one _large_ ki signature. I thought it would be either a highly populated planet or a planet occupied by an extremely powerful individual!"

Chichi halted, barely moving a muscle. "So...it's certainly not overpopulated so..." Kakarot grinned. "It's probably the second! I can't wait!" Chichi balled her hands into fists. "Seriously! You would take that chance! You thought that would be a good idea!" He placed his hands on his hips. "There's no thinking about it! My people are a warrior race, we live for the thrill of the fight!"

In a split second Chichi watched as Kakarot's face changed from joy to anger as at the speed of light he moved directly in front of her in a protective stance, his back towards her, his appearance blurring due to his incredibly fast movement. A flash of bright light highlighted his outline as he took a step backwards due an unknown impact hitting him directly in the chest. Flinching slightly he stood stock still for just a moment before collapsing in a heap on the ground in front of her.

"Kakarot!" She screamed as she dropped to her knees and pulled him towards her so he was now lying on his back. His face was contorted in pain, his chest barely moving as he struggled to breathe. "Are you OK! Say something!" He looked at her through squinted eyes and barely whispered. "I...can hardly...breathe..." Chichi could feel herself crying and didn't care. _What if he dies! I don't know what I'll do! I'd be stranded; I'd never go home again! _"What do I do? Tell me what I need to do! Do your people even have lungs?"

Chichi suddenly heard a click and looked up to see a gun being pointed at her from two aliens. They were both large and muscular in appearance with large yellow eyes and dark pink skin. "Where is the energy source?" Chichi leaned over Kakarot's torso protectively. "I don't know what you're talking about!" The alien pointing the gun growled. "Don't lie to us! We caught the signal on our radar and have been tracking it for weeks! Show us the source!" Chichi snarled. "I said I don't know what you're talking about!"

Kakarot desperately tried to help her but he was completely paralysed, he could barely move a muscle, he had never felt so helpless and weak before. Chichi suddenly remembered his current state and felt a large wave of anger spread over her. "Did you do this!" The aliens laughed. "You are the first locals we've seen since arriving on this dump! Did you really think we would let you escape?"

"We're not locals! We just arrived here a few minutes ago! So whatever you've done to him you can reverse it!" The aliens let out a barking roar of laughter as the alien holding the gun dropped his aim and signalled to his partner. "We'll leave this one to come to a decision, the last signal detected was from below the planet's surface." The commanding alien marched past his partner and activated a device attached to his wrist. An area in front of him shivered like a mirage in the desert and appeared into view, revealing itself as a large spaceship.

A large churning noise signalled the descent of a platform and the opening of an entrance hatch. "Prepare the drill!" The second alien quickly ran to catch up with his partner and the pair disappeared in the darkness of the ship. "HEY!" Chichi screamed. "Please you have to help him!" No reply was heard and Chichi once again burst into tears, she softly placed her head on Kakarot's torso and wept into his chest.

"I'm sorry..." He croaked as Chichi sat up from her current position. "Why are you sorry, it's not your fault I'm so useless! You saved my life and I can't do the same for you in return!" Kakarot winced, trying to get as much air into his lungs as much as he could to reply. "You were...right...this was a...bad idea!" It broke Chichi's heart to see him lying there in so much pain. Before she could reply a large whistling cut through the air and a piercing sound echoed as a precise laser beam shot from the nearby spaceship at an angle and into the ground nearby.

A large tsunami of dust burst up from the site and rushed towards the pair at high speed. Without a moment's thought Chichi quickly threw herself over Kakarot to shield them both from the dust cloud. The beam quickly finished as soon as it had started, taking it a few moments for the dust to finally settle after the disturbance. Once clear Chichi slowly sat up, causing a layer of dust that had collected on her back and head to plume as she moved. She coughed as her eyes quickly readjusted to the light and gazed at the hole which had now been created. From her current position Chichi could see what appeared to be green, sticky liquid ooze up slowly from below.

The hatch of the spaceship quickly reopened revealing the two aliens from previous looking triumphant at their discovery. The alien who appeared to be the leader of the pair quickly ran down the platform of the ship and back onto the planet's surface to gain a closer inspection, appearing very pleased with himself. "Raiti! Bring the sample collectors, quickly!" The second alien quickly nodded and picked up a small bag from behind him. "Yes, Zaacro!" He too jogged to the position of the hole and, after picking a small transparent container and what looked like a small metal spoon, he began to scoop small amounts of the liquid into the container.

"HEY!" The aliens quickly looked up at the young woman with the tear-streaked face. "You've got what you want so reverse whatever it is you've done!" The aliens looked at each other almost as if in silent communication. The one called Raiti stood back up on his feet and slowly walked towards the pair. After a couple of strides the ground beneath them began to rumble violently, increasing in force as it continued. Raiti fell violently to the floor, wincing due to the force of the fall.

Chichi's attention was quickly taken by one of the nearby boulders she had noticed when they had first arrived. It began to shake and move separately from the ground. She cried out when she noticed the boulder appeared to morph into a creature with short, thick legs and long, bulky arms. It also had what appeared to be a rock for a head just jutting from the main body with no neck present.

"Raiti! Get out of there!" Chichi managed to tear her eyes from the new creature to the alien called Zaacro, who was currently standing on the platform of the spaceship, two more stone creatures identical to the first charged towards him. Raiti screamed and stumbled clumsily to his feet and ran as fast as he could towards the ship, managing to duck just in time as the first creature's powerful arm swiped at him with enough force that could have knocked his head clear from his shoulders.

Once Raiti managed to make it to the platform, Zaacro, who was now in the safety of the ship, began the closing mechanism of the hatch, Raiti just managing to squeeze in before it closed. With their prey gone the rock creatures quickly looked around as much as their neck-less bodies would allow. The two creatures that chased Zaacro melted back into the planet's surface, satisfied that there were no more creatures present. However, the ogre that had morphed near Raiti soon spotted both Kakarot and Chichi and stomped his way towards the pair.

Chichi soon started to panic. "Kakarot! Come on we have to get out of here!" She grabbed a tight hold of his left arm and began to tug as hard as she could and drag him away, however she was not strong enough and he barely moved at all. "Chichi!" He shouted as high as his lungs would allow. "Get out of here!" Chichi quickly grabbed a hold of his arm and tried again. "I can't just leave you here!" Using all her strength she tugged, Kakarot barely moved a couple of inches before she lost her grip and fell hard to the floor.

Ignoring the pain she quickly pushed herself from the dusty ground and onto her knees, however she was too late, the large ogre stood before her, its arm raised and what looked like a large rock-like fist positioned at its end. _I won't let it end here!_ Chichi managed to pull strength from deep inside her and quickly jumped to the side to avoid the large fist which hit the ground with a huge amount of force. If she had not moved when she did she would have been crushed.

Realising that its target had moved the dim-witted ogre turned to search for where she had disappeared too, he then discovered Kakarot's prone body lying but a metre away. "NO!" Chichi screamed as the ogre quickly stomped towards Kakarot and picked him up from the ground as if he were a rag doll. Holding him victoriously over his head with both hands he threw him as hard as he could into a large pile of boulders, a huge crack sounding as his body connected with the boulders, rubble flying everywhere from the impact.

Chichi looked away, she couldn't bear to see the result of the attack, she hid her face in her hands and cried. _This is all my fault! I shouldn't have left him on his own! He's dead because of me!_ Too preoccupied with the thoughts of Kakarot's death she failed to notice the large ogre was yet again standing before her. Looking up from her hands she took in the appearance of the ogre before her through teary eyes, her inner strength completely forgotten.

The ogre once again raised its fist high above its head and prepared to attack.


	7. Chapter 7

However before he could bring it down on top of his target a large blast of energy hit the back of its head, with a flash of light its rock head shattered into small pieces from the force of the attack. Its arm fell back to its side and it stood absolutely motionless. Chichi quickly crawled to her left to have a look around the rock creature to discover where the attack had come from.

Chichi had never felt as happy as she did at that moment. Kakarot was stood on his feet, his right hand extended out in front of him. Apart from his slight panting he appeared perfectly fine. He changed his gaze from the ogre to Chichi, visibly pleased that she was OK. Chichi got to her feet and ran as fast as she could towards Kakarot, wrapping her arms as tightly as possible around his waist and burying her face into his chest.

"You're OK!" She whispered, Kakarot smiled and wrapped his arms around her returning the hug. "I've got a hard head!" He rested his head gently on top of hers and inhaled her scent. "I'm pleased you're safe." He whispered softly. Their display of affection was quickly cut short as the ogre once again began to move, a head reforming from its boulder body. Kakarot's grip on Chichi tightened as he watched the ogre regenerate itself. He quickly pushed her behind him, placing himself between her and the ogre.

"How is that possible? You blasted his head off!" Kakarot growled as the ogre turned to face the pair. "I don't know! Any other creature and they'd be dead!" Chichi pressed herself tightly against Kakarot's back. "Now what do we do? If you can't kill it then how can you win?" Kakarot quickly glanced to their left to the alien's spaceship. "Chichi! When I tell you to run, run! Got it?" Chichi too glanced to her left and nodded against Kakarot's back.

The ogre once again stomped towards them, Kakarot tensed as he prepared himself, waiting for just the right moment to strike. He watched as its right leg crashed to the floor. At that moment he fired a blast of energy to its right leg, causing it to shatter and disintegrate. Due to the shift in weight the creature lost its balance and crashed to the floor. "NOW!" Chichi ran as fast as her legs could carry her towards the ship. Kakarot stayed exactly where he was, watching as the creature tried to pull itself back up, leaning all of its weight on its left arm.

He fired yet another blast destroying the ogre's left arm and leaving it helpless on the ground. Satisfied he has bought some extra time, Kakarot ran to catch up with Chichi, who had now reached the ship's platform. She careened straight into the closed hatch, banging both fists against the smooth metal surface. "Hey! Let us in! Please help us!" She continued to thump her fists, ignoring the pain shooting up her arms. Feeling the platform judder beneath her she panicked and looked over her shoulder, relieved to see it was only Kakarot.

"HEY!" He yelled, banging a fist against the door, the force rattled the whole ship leaving a fist-sized dent in the once smooth surface. "Open this door!" He bellowed. There was no reply. "Kakarot!" He turned to see the creature was now back on its feet, fully healed yet again from the assault, and slowly making its way towards them. Growling he returned his attention back to the door. "I said let us in NOW! I know you've been watching us so you know that I'm the only one that can stand up against those things! So if you want to live you will LET US IN!"

There was once again silence from inside the ship. Kakarot turned to see the creature just a few feet away from the platform. He returned to a fighting stance preparing to defend both Chichi and himself when there was a sudden churning coming from behind them. The entrance hatch of the ship had opened half-way revealing Raiti. "Come on! Quickly!" Kakarot placed a hand on the small of Chichi's back and gently pushed her towards the alien. "Go Chichi!"

Due to her slight figure Chichi made it through the gap easily. Once she was through Kakarot quickly followed, just managing to squeeze his shoulders through as the mechanism began to close. Once within the ship the ogre froze on the spot, losing its target it dissolved back into the ground from where it came.

* * *

><p>As soon as the entrance hatch closed behind them a series of lights automatically turned themselves on, revealing a rusted and damp corridor before them. Chichi closed her eyes, desperately trying to slow her beating heart. "You OK?" Kakarot asked placing a hand gently onto her shoulder. She turned and smiled at him. "Is it always like this?" He laughed. "Not always!" A cough interrupted their conversation. "If you would like to come this way?" Raiti asked as he made his way down the corridor.<p>

Kakarot moved first with Chichi following him. "How are you able to move again?" Chichi asked as she watched Kakarot walk in front of her. "Ummm...I don't know actually!" Not stopping Raiti quickly replied to her question. "Adrenaline rush. Re-activated his synapses reversing the effect of our paralysis ray. You must have a strong 'fight or flight' response" Kakarot laughed. "You could say that! More fight than flight really." Raiti turned his head, still continuing his pace. "Sorry about that by the way."

"No problem." Kakarot replied, which did not impress Chichi. "What do you mean? They could have killed you! They could have killed us!" Raiti suddenly stopped and turned fully to face the pair. "We thought you were locals! We didn't know those things were going to pop out!" Chichi let out a small growl. "That's no excuse! You left us out there to die!" She felt Kakarot place both of his hands onto her shoulders. "Hey! He apologised and we're both fine! Let's just start a-fresh OK?"

Chichi eventually nodded as Raiti once again continued down the corridor with the pair following behind. They soon reached a large double-door entrance which slid open once Raiti was in the vicinity, Chichi couldn't help but compare it to something you would see on a sci-fi show and also noticed that Kakarot appeared unfazed by it, as if he saw this kind of thing every day. The doors revealed a large, circular control room, four sets of large screen monitors covered the far wall revealing different views of the planet outside, one showing the area of the drilling.

Zaacro was currently busying himself at a circular control panel in the middle of the room, taking tiny amounts of the sample collected from the drill site, adding a small amount of product and placing it into a small compartment of the machine. "I've got them Zaacro." Raiti stated as he walked up to the control panel to join his partner, Chichi and Kakarot remained near the entrance. Chichi noted a slight difference between the pair, with Raiti being the shorter of the two and Zaacro a slightly darker shade of pink.

"Excellent job you did out there, very impressive." Zaacro stated, not looking up from his work on the control panel. "You are a lot stronger than you look." Kakarot took a step forward, catching a glimpse of Zaacro with the sample in his hand. "What are you doing?" He asked, Zaacro turning to face him. "I am analysing the chemical structure of the sample taken from the drill site. If it is what we caught on the radar then it could be a new source of energy available to us."

"Why? What do you need it for?" Chichi too joining in the conversation. "Our planet requires a new source of energy. We have used up practically all of our resources and we are struggling to survive. I believe what we have discovered is a type of energy-rich oil which could be harvested to save our species." A number of beeps sounded from the control panel, Zaacro turning to face it and began to press a number of buttons. One of the large monitors before them replaced the image of the planet's surface with what appeared to be a microscopic view of the chemical.

"Well? What d'ya think Zaacro?" Raiti asked as he looked between the control panel and the image on the monitor. "Should we really be here?" Chichi whispered to Kakarot as they watched the event unfold before them. "I feel like we've just been forgotten about...like spare parts..." Kakarot watched the monitor closely. "If they need this oil-stuff for their people they may need our help to get it on their ship. If those rock guys come back they'll need as much help as they can get."

"You can't be serious!" She whispered back loudly. "I am being serious! They may have done what they did but we can't judge their whole species by their actions!" Chichi blew out a small breathe of air forcefully. "You're too kind for your own good, you know that!" Chichi smiled as Kakarot looked down at her. "It can't be...!" Zaacro called as Kakarot and Chichi quickly returned their gaze to the monitor. "What? What can't it be?" Raiti asked frustrated. "Well...to me it looks like -!"

"Blood!" Chichi finished Zaacro's sentence and took a few steps forward to have a closer look at the screen. It was unmistakable, red blood cells danced energetically across the monitor. "It's impossible! The sample must be contaminated!" Zaacro growled as he forcefully opened the compartment of the control panel, removed the sample and repeated the process again from afresh. After another couple of minutes the control panel beeped again to reveal another microscopic view, exactly the same as the previous sample. "It's impossible!" Zaacro shouted.

"You have your evidence." Kakarot stated, as he stood side by side with Chichi. "This planet is alive." Zaacro laughed harshly and slammed his hands against the control panel. "Don't be ridiculous! No planet is alive!" Chichi tore her eyes from the monitor to look at Zaacro. "Kakarot's right!" Zaacro looked her up and down and Raiti humphed. Chichi didn't let this affect her and continued her argument. "Think about it! When did that big earthquake happen and those rock men come out of the ground? When you used the drill and caused the planet to _bleed_."

Chichi could see that her deduction was starting to hit home to the aliens when they both turned to look at each other. "The earthquake must have been the planet in pain and those rock creatures must be the planet's protectors or...even its antibodies!" Chichi continued. Kakarot scratched his head in embarrassment. "What are antibodies?" He asked Chichi quietly. "Antibodies are a body's defence system. They fight against infections and help to keep the body fit and healthy."

"If the planet recognises us as a threat the antibodies would naturally be activated to defend against invasion..." Zaacro whispered. "Exactly!" Chichi smiled, pleased that he was starting to agree with her. "Then we've failed our mission! We're going home empty-handed!" Raiti stomped his feet in frustration. "You're not going anywhere, not yet anyway!" Kakarot ordered, Raiti turned his anger towards him. "What do you mean, huh? We'll leave if we want to leave this is our ship!"

Kakarot walked up to Raiti and stood tall and up close, showing he was not intimidated by him. "It was your drill that caused the injury!" He pointed to the monitor revealing the wound which was still bleeding. "You can't just leave this planet bleeding! I won't let you!" Raiti laughed. "And how do you suppose we do that, huh? As soon as we step off this ship those things will just attack us again!" A small cough interrupted their argument. The two men turned their heads to face Chichi, who suddenly looked very small compared to the two arguing men. "We could perform a sort-of...skin graft."

Raiti threw his hands in the air in exasperation and walked back to Zaacro. "And how do you propose we would do such a thing!" Chichi stood her ground firmly. "Well, thanks to Kakarot's hard head-" She winked playfully at Kakarot. "-there's plenty of 'skin' for us to play with. If we super-heated it then it would mould into the shape of the wound and seal the bleed naturally as it cools and solidifies."

"Chichi that's brilliant!" Kakarot laughed, highly impressed with her idea. "But how are we going to melt all that rock?" Chichi looked pleased with herself. "The only thing that's been able to break those rock men so far is your attacks. Do you think you could concentrate that beam for a long period of time on the same area?"

"Well, yeah! That's easy! But while I'm melting the rock who's going to be protecting you? You'll be defenceless!" Zaacro moved from his position by the control panel to a cabinet attached to the nearby wall. Opening the cabinet he produced a gun in a similar style to the gun he had used earlier on Kakarot. "What about this? Will this do?" Chichi walked up to Zaacro and took the gun from his hand, rolling it round in her hands to give it a full inspection. "It depends, what is it?" She asked. "It's a ray gun." Zaacro replied, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Should have known, aliens and their ray guns!" Chichi retorted as she held the gun properly in her right hand. "The settings can be altered to suit its use, which means it can produce the heat required to melt the rock." This pleased Kakarot. "That's great! Chichi can do the graft whilst I hold off the creatures!" Zaacro stepped in yet again. "You're strong, but not strong enough to hold off against a horde of those beasts...you are going to need our help." Raiti did not like the sound of that. "What do you mean 'us'?" Zaacro glared angrily at his partner. "They are right! It is our drill that caused this! We have to stay behind and fix the damage!"

Raiti shuffled his feet angrily, he knew Zaacro was right and sighed. "Alright! We could use the paralysis ray to slow them down at least!" Kakarot could feel his urge to fight rising and smiled excitedly. "Then it's settled! Chichi will perform the graft whilst we hold them off with your paralysis rays and my ki attacks. If we all work together, we should have the planet good as new in no time!" Raiti humphed yet again. "You make this sound so easy! Well...we're soon going to find out!"


	8. Chapter 8

The group once again found themselves in the dank corridor by the outer hatch that they had previously entered through. Kakarot was at the front of the group directly behind the hatch with Raiti and Zaacro behind him side by side, Raiti with his hand poised over the mechanism control which would open the hatch. They were both armed with a paralysis gun each, charged and ready to fire at a moment's notice. Chichi was at the back trying to calm her nerves for the big event, the ray gun feeling heavy in her hand. Zaacro had given her a quick run-through of how to aim and fire and pre-programmed the settings that would be required and also provided her with a large, anti-gravity metal tray to make transporting the rubble easier.

"OK, as soon as we set foot on the ground those guys are going to come out again so...I'll go first and distract them whilst the pair of you paralyse them, that should slow down their regeneration...in theory anyway! Then, Chichi, you should be free to do what you need to do." Kakarot explained, he could barely stay still, practically itching for a fight. "So...on the count of three!" Kakarot held up three fingers in emphasis. "Three..."He dropped a finger after each count. "Two...ONE!" Raiti hit the control panel and the hatch grinded into life, light from the two suns pouring into the corridor.

As soon as the hatch was wide enough Kakarot sprinted down the platform and skidded to a halt as soon as he hit the ground. As predicted, a burly rock creature emerged from the ground and morphed into life. In a split second Kakarot let out a high-charged beam of ki, exploding the monsters head into small shards. "NOW!" He yelled as Zaacro charged down the platform and fired his paralysis beam at the monster, hopefully slowing down the regenerative process and buying some more time.

"Chichi, GO!" After hearing her name both she and Raiti rushed out of the hatch, with Raiti stopping at Zaacro's side and Chichi running as fast as she could, bolting past Kakarot and towards the pile of rubble. As if by Chichi's presence on the ground two more rock creatures emerged from the ground in front of her. Kakarot's fist quickly connected with one of the monster's faces, causing it to fall backwards and crash into the floor. The creature behind him quickly advanced but Kakarot's elbow quickly smashed into the top of its head causing it to fall to its knees.

Kakarot caught Chichi standing stock still watching the fight in shock. "Go NOW!" He yelled, Chichi shaking her head back into focus and starting her run again. Kakarot caught one of the rock men reaching its hand out to catch Chichi's ankle as she ran passed. He stomped his foot down forcefully on the monster's wrist causing its hand to now lie limply, unattached on the ground.

Chichi dared not look back, focusing her sight solely on the rubble in front of her. She crashed to her knees once she reached her destination, clumsily piling rock after rock into the tray, the ray gun dropped clumsily to her side. Once satisfied with the amount of rocks she began to drag the levitating metal tray behind her with one hand and the ray gun gripped in the other, grunting due to the tray's now heavy weight. Moving as fast as the weight would allow she quickly caught sight of Kakarot in front of her.

One of the creatures had grabbed him from behind in a tight bear hug, holding him up so his feet dangled from the floor. A quick blast from Raiti's paralysis gun halted the creature in its movements, however, it maintained its tight hug. Powering up, a bright aura surrounded Kakarot's body as in a split-second the ogre shattered into many smouldering pieces on the floor. "That's it Chi! Keep going!" He yelled as another ogre materialised in front of Kakarot, swinging an arm at immense speed. Kakarot ducked just in time and placed both palms of his hands on the creature's chest, the force of his ki attack blasting the creature a few metres away and crashing heavily into the ground followed by a large plume of dust.

Finally reaching the hole, Chichi allowed the tray to fall to the ground with a loud clang. Being careful not to step in the green blood she gripped the edge of the tray closest to her and tipped it, causing the contents to fall into the nearby hole. Shakily holding the ray gun in both hands she pressed the trigger until she felt a slight click, the gun soon began to charge up the beam required.

Kakarot could see from his current position that Chichi was poised and ready to begin melting the rock. As he glanced over he also caught sight of another creature materialising near her. Growling he raced as fast as he could towards it, its back still turned to him when he arrived. Jumping in the air he planted a foot in its back forcing it to crash face-first into the floor, his weight holding it where it was as he crouched on top of it. "How are you doing?" He grinned at her as if everything that was happening around them was normal. If it wasn't for their current situation Chichi would have laughed at the smudges of dust that cutely covered Kakarot's face.

A small beep emitted from the gun in her hands. "Great!" She replied as she pressed the trigger further causing a red beam to fire onto the pile of rubble in the hole. The rocks changed colour as they quickly became white-hot. Kakarot turned his head to see another rock creature charge towards Zaacro and Raiti. Jumping from the creature's back, Kakarot placed himself behind it and grabbed a tight hold of one of its legs. Repeating the move Chichi had seen him perform when they first met he swung the creature and aimed for the second ogre.

The impact of the two monsters caused Chichi's eardrums to rattle. She watched and continued the laser beam until the rocks before her began to lose their shape and bubble. "Are you finished yet?" Kakarot called from his position in front of the ship, it appeared that the rock creatures had quadrupled in number with twelve now advancing towards him and the alien pair. "What are you doing up there!" Kakarot yelled to Raiti and Zaacro who were still positioned on the ship's platform. "We've run out of ammo!" Zaacro called back. "The batteries are dead!"

Kakarot turned to them, a look of exasperation on his face. "What do you mean they're dead? They can't be flat already?" He turned back to see the monsters were beginning to all group together for a large assault. "They're not designed for this much use! It's usually just one blast paralysing the victim completely! These things need repeated blasts! The guns can't cope!" Raiti shouted down as he shook and banged the gun with his free hand to try and get it to work again.

"OK! I'm going to do something drastic so all of you...STAY BACK!" Kakarot crouched down and powered up, a bright aura once again surrounding his whole body as his power level increased. He brought his hands straight-out in front of him, his wrists pressed together and then pulled them to his side, a large ball of bright energy forming between his palms. "KA...ME...!"

"I'm finished!" Chichi called as she released her grip on the trigger, she watched as the rock rapidly cooled, steam escaping in large plumes into the air as the rock solidified into a suitable plug, the blood now no longer oozing. "HA...ME...!" Chichi turned to see Kakarot poised and ready to attack, the ogres faltering in their step as their subconscious registered their host was now healed. "HA!" Unfortunately for Chichi she did not hear Kakarot's previous warning, he threw his hands forward releasing all his charged ki into one large concentrated attack. The force of which blew Zaacro and Raiti backwards and into the ship, Chichi completely lost her footing on the ground and landed hard on the ground behind, hitting her head and knocking her unconscious.

The rock creatures cracked and shattered under the attack until they became nothing but dust. As the blast continued a crack quickly appeared in the ground near Chichi, however, unlike the wound caused by the drilling no blood appeared to ooze from it, only long, green vines. They crawled towards her prone body and wrapped around her limbs and abdomen and pulled her slowly towards the crack, she slowly disappeared as she was pulled inside the Planet.

* * *

><p>Kakarot dropped his arms to his side and quickly turned and ran up the platform and into the hatch of the ship, slamming his palm forcefully against the control panel causing the hatch to close behind him. "Chichi...you alright?" He panted as he caught his breath, the lights of the corridor turning themselves on to reveal Raiti and Zaacro sprawled across the floor. Kakarot had a quick scan round and started to panic. "Where's Chichi!" Zaacro was now on his feet, helping Raiti back onto his. "Well we know where she isn't...not here!"<p>

Kakarot grabbed Zaacro and threw him up against the wall, his right forearm pressed tightly against his neck, holding him fast against the wall. "You think that's funny?" He growled as Zaacro desperately tried to free himself from his grasp. "You left her out there on her own!" Raiti righted himself and grabbed hold of one of Kakarot's shoulders in a futile attempt to free his partner. "She's not our responsibility! It's _you_ that left her out there, not us!"

_He's right..._ Kakarot thought as he released his grip on Zaacro who slid down the corridor wall and onto the floor. "I have to find her!" He reached for the control panel of the hatch but his arm was grabbed yet again by Raiti. "I'm not letting you go out there again! You'll put us all in danger!" Raiti ordered as he watched the man in front of him become visibly upset. "I have to go out there! I promised her I would show her all of these amazing planets and on our first trip I leave her behind!" He pulled his arm out of Raiti's hold and pressed the control panel, the hatch once again opening up to the outside world.

Racing down the platform and to where he last saw Chichi he stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of a crack in the ground, green vines disappearing back into the ground below. _She's been taken down there! I know it!_ Once again a rock ogre appeared before him blocking his path to where Chichi had been taken. _Hang on, Chi! I'm coming!_ He ran as quickly as he could, the ogre holding its arms out wide in an attempt to grab hold of him. At the last second he dropped into a skid, skidding straight between the monsters legs and dropped straight down into the crack.


	9. Chapter 9

Kakarot slowly levitated himself down what appeared to be a tunnel leading into the depths of the Planet, a small speck of light could be seen at its end. Kakarot powered up slightly in order to produce a slight aura around himself so he could see where he was going. As he continued to travel further below he constantly tried to sense Chichi's ki, however it appeared that the large ki source was masking it.

_The large energy source must be the planet itself._ He decided as he watched the small speck of light below him grow bigger and brighter. _Chichi's still alive...I know she is! If anything happens to her...I'll never forgive myself!_ Eventually, Kakarot reached the end of the tunnel and dropped into what appeared to be a large rocky cavern which was filled with an eerie, green glow emanating from the moss which grew over its walls, a vast body of strange-coloured water spread out beneath him.

"Woah!" He whispered to himself as he took in the size of the underwater ocean. _I bet Chichi would have loved this..._ He thought sadly to himself as he took in the beautiful yet eerie view before him, catching a glimpse of a ship floating in the liquid below him to his left. Levitating himself lower to get a closer look at the spaceship his heart skipped a beat. _No! It can't be!_ The spaceship was circular in shape with a circular purple window in its centre, it's outer walls both yellow and white in colour.

_It looks like it's been here a while..._ He noted as he landed softly on top of the ship, noticing how most of its body had rusted with age. "Phew! Had me worried! For a second there...I thought they had found me already!" He smiled to himself out of relief and then quickly swapped it for an angry frown. _There's no mistaking it though...it's definitely from King Cold's fleet which means they have a presence in this area...I have to find Chichi and get us both off this planet quickly! I won't let them find me!_

From his position on top of the ship he took another look round, once again scanning for Chichi's ki and sensing nothing. He walked slowly towards the damaged window at the centre of the ship and powered a ki blast in his right arm, poised ready for a sneak attack. _This is the part where I find out if there are any survivors_. He dropped silently into the ship, extending his right arm with the ki blast in front of him in defence and as a light source. He spun round wildly checking all angles in case of ambush.

The circular corridor where he was now standing in was completely deserted; the moss that coated the walls of the cavern now coated the walls of the ship, filling the corridor with the same green glow. Kakarot slowly lowered his arm and allowed the ki in his palm to dissipate. _What happened to the crew?_ Before he could completely lower his guard he caught the slightest movement in the corner of his eye, he speedily spun round, his arm once again raised for attack.

The light from his palm illuminated a small section of the wall to reveal what looked like a small, green blob which twitched under Kakarot's gaze. "Huh?" He took a small step forward and bent over to get a closer look. Taking a finger he slowly brought it forward, hesitated a moment and then quickly poked it. It twitched slightly from Kakarot's touch, he thought it had a touch resembling thick jelly. His curiosity got the better of him and he poked it again with a little bit more force causing it to judder once more.

"Cute!" He chuckled as he reached out and picked up the little creature in his right hand. However, once in his grasp he felt a sudden searing pain in his palm which caused him to drop the creature to the floor, it began to flash intermittingly yellow before disappearing into the dark. "Ah! Little -! What the hell was that thing?" He held his palm in front of his face to see that it had now become red as if it had been burnt; he shook it softly to try to cool it down and soften the pain.

_I can't let myself get distracted...I have to find Chichi!_ He was about to jump back up through the hole above him and return to the cavern when all of a sudden he caught sight of several flashes of light in the shadows before him. "What now?" The small flashes of light continued to advance towards him, revealing themselves to be a large crowd of green blobs, identical to the one Kakarot had just seen. "Oh great! He's called in reinforcements!" He looked skyward to the hole in the ship above him. _I'm not going to hang around here any longer...I've got more important things to do! _He jumped, landing gracefully on the outer surface of the ship. "Attack of the small blob creatures...that's never happened before!"

He flexed his injured hand softly to assess the damage, a slight sting accompanying the movements. _OK...Think Kakarot! The only lead that you have is those vines so...find the vines you find Chichi..._ Kakarot was so busy with his thoughts that he did not see another small group of flashing green blobs advance behind him. It was as Kakarot looked around him for any signs of holes or further tunnels when he suddenly felt a slight tug on his left foot. Looking down quickly he discovered that his foot was now engulfed in green slime.

"What the-!" Feeling a similar sensation on his right foot he quickly looked to see several green blobs slide onto his boot and combine together. Kakarot couldn't move his feet, he was now glued to the spot. Powering up he lifted his left foot up with all his strength, a loud squelch signalling that his foot was now free. He repeated the same process with the right, however, before he could levitate up and off the ship and away from the attack one single blob suddenly jumped into his view and onto his face.

In both shock and panic he quickly stumbled backwards, not realising how close he was getting to the edge of the spaceship and fell backwards into the liquid sea surrounding it. With an iron-tight grip he grabbed hold of the blob and ripped it from his face, the liquid satisfyingly cool to his face, luckily he was able to remove the blob before it could begin to burn. His lungs ached for oxygen as he quickly raced to the surface, taking a large gulp of air once his head broke the surface.

Spluttering slightly as he caught his bearings, he gripped the side of the ship tightly, half of his body still in the liquid. Once he had eventually caught his breath again he caught the scent of what appeared to be burning. _Oh what now!_ He looked down to see where his armour was in contact with the liquid was beginning to smoke. "Argh!" He leapt out of the water quick as a flash and levitated high above, patting his armour quickly as if putting out a fire.

Holding his arms out and away from his body he inspected the armour to discover a faint line marking where the surface of the liquid once was. "Bad day..." He whispered as he looked down at the sea below him. _This must be the planet's digestive system..._ He took a quick look at the ship to the right. _...And that must be the planet's food._ A large ripple occurred in the ocean below where Kakarot was now levitating, as if someone had just dropped a pebble or stone. "Here we go again!"

The rippling suddenly stopped and there was absolute silence, like the calm before the storm. All of a sudden a gigantic grey worm burst screeching through the surface of the liquid directly beneath Kakarot and upwards towards him at tremendous speed. Before he could even blink the monster had him in its jaws, clamping down harshly and trapping him in its mouth.

However, Kakarot was not about to become someone's meal just yet, with his feet pressed tightly against the large fangs of the beast's lower jaw and his hands and upper back pressed tightly against its upper palette he heaved, causing the beast's jaws to open slowly, inch by inch. He continued to heave until the mouth was wide enough for him to squeeze out of and quickly jumped for freedom, the jaws snapping shut tightly just missing him.

The giant worm quickly retaliated, not giving up, he brought his tail up from below and snapped it straight into Kakarot's side like a whip causing Kakarot to spin rapidly in the air and crash with force into the sea below, a large explosion of liquid erupting into the air. A searing pain shot through Kakarot's side, exactly the same place where his injury from the battle with the metal bird on Earth had occurred. Bubbles of air escaped from his mouth as he called out in pain. As he floated he caught sight of another ship, trapped and sunken at the ocean's floor, one that he did not recognise.

The worm creature quickly dropped under the water, honing in on Kakarot once again, not letting its prey escape. It propelled itself forward with tremendous speed; Kakarot watched him approach and quickly brought his palms together at his side and then straight forward, firing a concentrated beam of ki which hit the creature directly between the eyes, making sure his back was turned to the newly-discovered ship. The force of the blast propelled him directly towards it, the remaining air was propelled forcefully from his lungs as his back connected painfully with the submerged ship's outer casing.

Due to being submerged in the digestive juices of the Planet, the weakened metal buckled from the force and ripped open, allowing Kakarot to crash through and smash into the floor of the ship's corridor, a torrent of liquid crashing in afterwards, the inside of the ship had managed to preserve internal pressurisation and, in turn, retained its air supply. _"Hull Breach...Hull Breach..."_ A computerised female voice sounded as red emergency lights flashed rapidly. _"Emergency Airlock Activated...Emergency Airlock Activated..."_ A force field was quickly produced, providing an invisible barrier between the air-tight innards of the ship and the sea outside.

Kakarot coughed and spluttered loudly as he lay face down in a large puddle of liquid. Remembering that it was actually digestive juices he quickly sprung back to his feet and leaned all of his weight against the nearby corridor wall. "I really don't think this day could get any worse..." He spluttered.

* * *

><p>After a couple of minutes rest Kakarot was once again on his feet and exploring his new surroundings, looking for a control room in particular. <em>If this ship can produce a force field then it should have enough power for a scanner which I could use to hopefully track Chichi's movements...in theory anyway!<em> His feet thumped loudly on the metal grating floor, the sound echoing down the corridor. Exposed wires sparked all around him.

After further exploring he came across a tiny darkened room filled with large, metal columns covered in wires and hundreds of small lights of varying colours twinkling brightly. _The data core...the control centre of the whole ship...how is it still operational?_ It was as he entered the room to get a closer look that he discovered something better than a scanner.

"Vines!" He called out as he discovered behind a long row of computerised columns another tunnel like the one he discovered on the surface with many different vine-like structures of varying sizes protruding from inside, all wrapping and connecting themselves to the ship's data core. As if it was waiting for that particular moment the large worm creature once again made its presence known, crashing its large bulk into the side of the ship. Kakarot fought to keep his feet on the ground, although after another crash of girth he quickly fell to his knees directly in front of the hole.

Crawling forward he quickly examined the hole. _It's just big enough for me to fit through, although it's gonna be a tight squeeze..._ Another crash rocked the ship violently. _Well, looks like I have no choice, I certainly can't go back!_ Taking a deep breath in, he squeezed himself down yet another dark tunnel.


	10. Chapter 10

"Ergh...Hell knows how long I've been crawling for!" Kakarot huffed to himself as he continued to squeeze his body down the tiny tunnel. The walls scraped roughly against the material of his uniform causing the occasional tear as he used his elbows to propel himself forward, unable to crawl due to the lack of space. "But...I suppose if it is the centre of the planet I'm crawling too then I suppose it will take a bit of time and effort...The distance I've covered that's probably where I'm headed!"

He could feel the muscles in his shoulders ache due to the hours of crawling, the long exertion beginning to take its toll, his mind beginning to numb with a mixture of monotony and fatigue. "I really hope there's something at the end of this tunnel...Even if I can crawl backwards and back up this thing I don't really want to face that worm-thing again!" Just as his vision began to slowly blur his eyes made out what appeared to be a small pin-prick of light. "No way!" He whispered as he furiously blinked to clear his vision. "Either I've died, my eyes are playing tricks or I've finally managed to find a way out of here..."

He stopped dead in his tracks, staring unblinkingly at the light point and then suddenly began to crawl as fast as he could toward the light source. The pinprick of light slowly increased in size until finally Kakarot could make out some detail located at the end of the tunnel. After a few more minutes of struggling Kakarot finally managed to peek his head out of the tunnel and have a look around at the new surroundings.

He found himself yet again in an underground cavern, only this time there was an absence of ocean. It was much smaller in size than the previous, the walls appearing to pulse and twitch with life. This cavern was filled with a purple light which seemed to originate from the walls itself rather than plant-life like the one above. Kakarot whistled in appreciation as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. _Creepily beautiful!_ He thought to himself as he tried to push himself out of the tunnel.

Unfortunately, his shoulders were rather large for the tunnel exit, and he found himself unflatteringly stuck. "Argh, dammit!" He growled as he tried to twist his shoulders into another position and push himself out. "Great!" He grumbled as he crawled backwards just a couple of inches to see if he could work his way out a different way, lowering his head so he could watch where he placed his hands.

But not a few seconds after lowering his head Kakarot felt a pair of squidgy, soft appendages grip onto his shoulders and, with a huge amount of force, tugged him from the tunnel, a large crack sounding as most of the tunnel wall followed after him. Kakarot was thrown from one end of the small cavern to the other, the impact of his back smacking against the wall echoing around, followed by a small thud as he fell to the ground.

As soon as he regained his bearings he stood up into a fighting stance and became face to face with his new opponent. It was of a similar appearance to the rock ogres on the planet's surface, only the one stood before Kakarot appeared to be more gelatinous and jelly-like than his rock counterpart. "Grrr not these guys again!" The jelly ogre opened its mouth wide and let out an ear-pitching scream in reply, causing Kakarot to cover his ears to save his ear drums.

"Was that because I didn't say 'Thank you'?" The jelly ogre wasted no time and quickly tried to land a punch, Kakarot dodging to the right just in time to miss it, causing the jelly's fist to connect with the wall with a loud splat. "Ergh! Well that was a very attractive noise!" The jelly pulled his saggy fist from the newly-formed crater and attempted to swing it at Kakarot in a backhand motion, however he once again dodged its attack, now placing himself behind his flabby enemy.

From his current viewpoint Kakarot could see a vine, similar in appearance to the set he had seen previously on both the Planet's surface and in the spacecraft, emerging from the back of the creature's neck. _The same vines! Chichi must be around here somewhere!_ "Where's Chichi!" Kakarot shouted at the jelly's back. "The woman you took from the surface! I know it was you that took her!" From where the jelly was crouching he slowly raised his head up the caverns wall, Kakarot watched and followed his line of sight until he spotted what appeared to be a small jut of rock, a tiny hand hanging over its edge.

Jumping into the air and hovering slightly higher to get a closer look, Kakarot's face broke into a smile at the sight. "Chichi!" There was no response as she lay still, her face pointing in his direction showing that she was unconscious. Kakarot's smile quickly disappeared as he quickly realised that there was something attached to Chichi's forehead, yet more vines much smaller and delicate-looking than the ones that he had already seen.

Before Kakarot could respond he was quickly tackled in mid-air by the jelly, becoming so interested in Chichi's welfare that he had let his guard down. The jelly held him forcefully against the cavern wall, the force increasing so much that Kakarot was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. With great difficulty Kakarot managed to bring his hands to the centre of his body and moved them so the palms were placed onto the jelly's abdomen. With a flash of light Kakarot released a ki beam which cut through the jelly with ease, leaving a large hole in its gut.

With the decreased pressure Kakarot was able to free his arm, allowing him to place a powerful right hook directly into the jelly's face causing it to crash into the floor, leaving Kakarot in the crater of the wall created by the tackle. Removing himself from the new crater, Kakarot landed perfectly onto his feet, wiping a small fleck of blood from his lower lip. "Nice sneak attack!" He smirked as he watched the jelly before him regain its footing and heal the hole in its abdomen. "Would have worked too if you weren't so squidgy!".

If it wasn't for the fact that the jelly did not have any facial features, Kakarot could have swore he saw it snarl. The vine attached to the back of its head began to twitch occasionally then sped into violent and rapid spasms. "C'mon! Can't you just gimme a break!" Small buds soon began to form across the span of the vine until they rapidly grew in size to form exact duplicates of the original jelly ogre.

They wasted no time and quickly raced forward to attack Kakarot. He could barely defend himself against the heavy barrage of fists that was thrown at him and could feel the sting of the creatures punches, feeling more like heavy slaps due to their squidgy forms. Due to the many fists Kakarot found it difficult to keep track of them all and so did not realise it when one of the jellys stop its attack and forcefully wrap its vine around Kakarot's neck.

The surrounding jellys quickly halted their attack and watched as Kakarot fought for air, his hands gripping tightly on the vine trying desperately to loosen its hold. No matter how hard he tried he could not gain any leverage, quickly dropping to one knee due to the lack of oxygen, his mind suddenly becoming fuzzy.

_C'mon!_ Kakarot's mind screamed. _You can do this! You have to remember it's not just your life you're fighting for now!_ With great difficulty, Kakarot managed to raise his gaze to the jut of rock Chichi was currently lying, still unconscious and unaware of what was taking place below her. _If I die down here...Chichi will be stuck down here forever!_ Kakarot could suddenly feel an anger build within him, giving him strength to fight unconsciousness despite his lack of air.

With a loud rip the vine around his neck tore in half, the causing the connected Jelly to fall backwards due to the lack of tension. Still keeping hold of the connected piece, Kakarot used all of his remaining strength to catapult it into the crowd in front of him like a twisted game of skittles. Kakarot once again fell to his knees in exhaustion, panting hard to catch his breath but learning from his previous mistake and kept a full eye on the creatures before him.

He watched as the jellys quickly tried to pull themselves apart from each other, their bodies sticking together from the attack. All except for one jelly. The catapulted jelly that had tried to suffocate Kakarot previously lay unmoved ontop of two of its comrades. In a split second it quickly melted into a large puddle.

_That's it!_ Kakarot's eyes dashing between the sticky pile of bodies and to the main vine connecting the original jelly and the budded forms. _I severed that thing's connection! No connection, no vine! Like the signal between the Caw and its feather!_ Wasting no time, Kakarot propelled himself forward to an area of the vine furthest away from the struggling jellys and with a flash of ki energy, cut the vine clearly in half, watching as the pile vanished with a splash.

If Kakarot thought that was the end, he was wrong. Before he could even blink one end of the cut vine twitched erratically and wrapped itself around his left leg, the other his right, they began to produce smaller and more intricate vines like a tree stump beginning to re-grow. Kakarot's feet were instantly pinned to the cavern floor, the vines held a grip so tight he could feel the blood supply almost being cut to his feet. He began to feel disgusted as he felt the pair of vines move up his back and circle tightly around his arms, pinning them to his chest.

"Get...off...me!" Kakarot grumbled as he struggled to free himself from the tangle, shaking his head back and forth and side to side as he felt the pair of vines begin to make their way up the back of his neck. But no matter how much he struggled he could not stop their travels and felt small hair like projections make their way to his temples, feeling tiny niggles of pain when they attached themselves. "I said...get OFF!" He shouted as he squinted his eyes tight shut in case the vines decided to make their way to his face.

_Silence, Saiyan._

Kakarot halted mid-struggle, his eyes opening wide in shock. "Who...who said that?" He shouted into the air. "How do you know who I am!" The voice once again sounded in his mind.

_We are connected. I have access to your thoughts...your memories...your every emotion...we are connected..._

"Yeah? Well I don't want to be! And neither does Chichi so let us go!"

_She is my Healer_

"What?"

_She is my Healer..._

"Yeah I heard you the first time! She healed the wound – "

_The wound you and you're comrades caused –_

"What? No!"

_You fought alongside them, you all fought against me_

"Yes, but in self-defence! The aliens on the surface didn't realise you were sentient! If they had they never would have attacked you! They never would have come here!"

_I was the one defending, you and you're comrades were the attackers. You fought alongside them, you all fought against me_

"But Chichi didn't! You already said she was your 'Healer'! Let her go!"

_She is my Healer..._

"Yes! You've already said that part!"

_She is my Healer...I am defending her...I am defending her from the attackers...defending her from you..._

"No! I would never hurt her! She's my friend!"

_But you attacked us_

"It was an accident!"

_It was planned...you fore-warned your comrades but you did not fore-warn my Healer...you hurt her..._

"I thought...I thought she heard me. I shouted – "

_You did not fore-warn my Healer...you hurt her...she has not stirred since...I brought her into myself to protect her and keep her safe...but you followed_

"Of course I did! She's my friend! I...care about her! She doesn't belong here!"

_You are the foreign invader...you are the attacker...you want to hurt my Healer..._

"No! You said we were connected! So search through my memories of her! Search through HER memories! You'll see I will do everything in my power to keep her safe...just like you..."

A flicker of memories quickly began as the being did as was asked, scanning through all of Kakarot's memories whilst present on Earth. His first arrival in the mountain range, first arriving in the near-by city, his trip to the hospital, his first meeting with Chichi, following her movements through the city in fascination, rushing to save her from the Caw, their second and third meetings. They all danced before his mind's eye culminating and leading to the memory when they first arrived here.

All the emotions that he felt during those times returned to him like a hit to the chest, how shocked and then pleased he felt when he found Chichi for a second time, the warm and fuzzy feeling he felt in his chest as Chichi tried to persuade him to stay the night. How happy he felt when she agreed to come with him...

Then Chichi's memories began. Kakarot watched in fascination as her version of events began to play in his mind, smiling as he saw her impression of him play through her eyes. An image of him grinning childishly, the goofy look on his face after Chichi stopped playing with his tail, him levitating in the air outside of the hospital window. The last and most vivid image of all was the image of himself standing in a pile of rubble after his recovery from paralysis and saving Chichi from the first appearance of the rock ogre.

_These memories...the memories shown to me by my Healer...they play through her mind continuously...the memories shown to me by my Healer...they are memories of you..._

"Exactly! What does that tell you! You've seen our memories! Shared our thoughts and feelings! Please...just let us go...or at least let her go..."

_You are lonely_

"...Yes"

_As am I...no other life-form has ever shown me as much care as that of my Healer_

"Yeah...I know the feeling..."

Once again Kakarot felt as if he had been hit in the chest as the being scanned his previous feelings of before he arrived on Earth, his heart once again felt heavy.

_You have exiled yourself from your own species out of shame...your soul is cold and your heart is empty...I too know the burden of loneliness_

"Please!" Kakarot had not begged for anything or anyone since his childhood. "Please...I can't feel like that anymore!" He lowered his head and closed his eyes. "...Give her back to me..."

For the first time since the being connected to Kakarot's psyche there was silence as it contemplated Kakarot's request. "...Please..."

_Her soul resonates to me...when she dreams of you her heart sings...she is deeply connected to you..._

Kakarot flinched when the being again scanned his feelings, particularly his feelings involving Chichi, including how he felt when Chichi stroked his tail, how pleased he felt when he saw how happy she was when he brought her her toy monkey, the rush of heat and tingles he felt when she rushed to him and cried with relief into his chest.

_My Healer...she believes in you...I entrust my Healer into your care..._

Kakarot could feel the vines around his body begin to lose their iron grip.

_Protect her...Saiyan..._

The vines decorating Kakarot's body and temples fell lifeless in a heap on the floor, his connection to the being now completely broken. Looking up above his head and to the rock platform where Chichi was currently placed he watched as the same procedure happened to the vines connected to her. Quick as a flash he jumped and landed softly next to her, gently moving a lock of hair from her face and placing it behind her ear as she stirred from her slumber. "Thank you." Kakarot whispered into the air, hoping the Planet could hear him now the vines were no longer present.


	11. Chapter 11

Chichi slowly opened her eyes, feeling a slight throb on the back of her head due to the earlier knock on the Planet's surface. Her eyesight was still blurry when she noticed a figure sitting over her. "Hey" Kakarot whispered, not wanting to scare her. "It's OK, you're safe now...I found you." Chichi grumbled and tried to sit up, Kakarot gripped her shoulders softly and helped her up, letting her support her weight against him.

"What happened?" She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes, her nose crinkled slightly in disgust. "And what smells like...Vinegar?"

"Yeah...that's me..." Kakarot chuckled, then suddenly becoming serious. "Chichi I'm so sorry! I never meant for anything like this to happen! I would never EVER hurt you intentionally!" Chichi stopped rubbing her eyes and turned to face Kakarot. "What are you talking about?" She then turned to look at her new surroundings and felt a sudden tug of panic. "Where are we?" Kakarot took a hold of her hands and gripped them tightly, being careful not to grip too hard and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I honestly thought you were with Zaacro and Raiti! When I was about to blast the rock men I shouted a warning but you didn't hear me." He looked from her gaze to their hands. "It wasn't your fault I should have checked that you heard me before I did it! I guess I've been travelling on my own for so long I forget about these things!" He brought his gaze back to Chichi. "Once the three of us were on the ship and I realised you weren't there I went straight back out for you but the Planet took you whilst you were knocked out! I followed you through what I think was its gut, nearly got digested, got attacked by a giant worm and crawled for hours until I ended up in here where I finally found you!"

"I'm so sorry Chichi! Real sorry! But –" He closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I'll completely understand if you want me to take you home..." He mumbled. "...Wow" Chichi whispered as she finally took in all that Kakarot had rushed through. "I'm sorry I missed all of that...trust me to be unconscious through all of it." Kakarot didn't respond. "You did all of that for me?" Kakarot quickly looked up. "Course I did! You think I would leave you down here!" He smiled.

Chichi quickly wrapped her arms around Kakarot's chest and buried her face yet again in his chest. "...Thank you" She whispered as Kakarot shyly and clumsily hugged her back, Kakarot once again placing his head on top of hers. "You're welcome" He whispered into her hair.

* * *

><p>In a swirl of dust Kakarot and Chichi once again found themselves on the planet's surface where they first landed. Chichi's backpack still in the same place they had left it, untouched. Chichi's face was still buried in Kakarot's chest, her eyes closed tightly and her arms in a death grip around his abdomen. "Chichi I've already told you! The planet loves you! It won't attack now!" Kakarot chuckled. "Are you sure?" She asked shakily. "I promise! Besides! If they do attack we won't let them hurt you!"<p>

Chichi opened her eyes and looked up at Kakarot confused. "We?" "Yep!" He replied and pointed towards Chichi's backpack and the little Goku monkey toy. The pair chuckled, Chichi slowly beginning to relax until suddenly a loud roar of engines and a large plume of dust occurred behind them.

The spaceship belonging to Zaacro and Raiti slowly elevated into the air and with another burst of its engines blasted off into the atmosphere. "Bye!" Kakarot shouted and waved his arm in the air. His arm froze in position when he felt shivering. Looking down Kakarot saw the terrified face of Chichi causing him to laugh. "Chichi you crack me up!"

"Shut up!" She groaned playfully, pushing herself away from him and pointing enthusiastically at the now orbiting pair of aliens. "That was my first spaceship!" Kakarot chuckled. "And very well you handled it, too!" He ambled towards Chichi's backpack and placed it over his shoulder. "So..." He said. "Do you...well...still wanna...come with me?" Chichi slowly made his way towards him with a grin on her face.

"You think you're going to get rid of me that easy?" A grin slowly played out on Kakarot's face. "That was my first spaceship..." She continued. "But it definitely wasn't my last!" She held out a hand which he took immediately. "So you still trust me?" He asked as she smiled warmly at him. "You've saved me from a metal dodo, rock men and from the centre of a sentient Planet! What is there not to trust?"

Kakarot's grip on Chichi's hand tightened slightly as they once again disappeared into the unknown.

* * *

><p>Chichi felt the familiar rush of wind through her hair as she was yet again transported to another world. Like their previous transport, she kept a tight grip on Kakarot's hand, only this time she kept her eyes open. A rush of colour flashed in front of her eyes and a warm breeze touched her face as they arrived at their second Planet.<p>

It took Chichi a few moments to fully process the view before her, and when she did she released a small gasp of amazement. "I-It's beautiful!" They were currently stood in the middle of a giant alien rainforest, surrounding them were vast amounts of green vegetation with vivid coloured flowers. Giant trees towered over them, their lush foliage creating a giant green canopy above their heads, which prevented a true view of the sky other than tiny glimpses through the gaps.

Kakarot dropped his height slightly and leaned closer so he was almost cheek-to-cheek with Chichi. "Pretty, huh?" Chichi swallowed hard, buying her time to try and find something constructive to say to try and describe how she felt, but instead decided to nod her head in agreement with a quiet "Yeah".

"I've been here a couple of times before, it's the only Planet I've ever revisited...well, on purpose anyway..."

Chichi again nodded, still absorbing the beautiful scene before them. "Really? What's it called?"

"No idea!" Kakarot suddenly bounced from his current position, Chichi's backpack bouncing on his shoulder with the momentum. It was almost as if he had become impatient from standing still for those last few seconds, and took a deep, lung-full of forest air. "Why don't we name it? How about...big green leafy-thing!"

Chichi giggled and reappeared at his side, draping her left arm casually over his right shoulder. "I think that would work! We could even call it...'Big Green' for short." Kakarot smiled widely at her as if he had just came up with the best idea of his life. "Want to take a look at old 'Big Green' from above?"

At the speed of light, before Chichi even gave him an answer, he bent down and swooped his left arm straight under Chichi's legs, catching her shoulders with his right arm, causing her to be carried bridal style.

Blowing the stray hair from her face, she shot Kakarot an annoyed look. "You could of at least given me some –" Wasting no time, Kakarot suddenly bent his knees and propelled them high up into the canopies above them. Chichi's cry of shock and the cracks and snaps of branches echoing after them.

Chichi's stomach somersaulted when the pair of them halted suddenly in mid-air. Her chest began to feel tight as she quickly wrapped her arms around Kakarot's neck tightly. "OK, we're flying, we're flying...we are floating in mid-air..." Kakarot chuckled. "You're so funny, Chichi! You react to all of this stuff as if you've never done it before!"

"Of course! Because, believe it or not, Humans can't fly!" Kakarot raised an eyebrow. "How come?"

"Because we can't!" She giggled in reply, causing a slight cough.

Kakarot chuckled again. "I was always told there's no such thing as can't..."

"By who?" She asked. Kakarot suddenly looked uncomfortable and quickly changed the subject. "It's getting late...just take a look at that sunset!" Chichi shifted her glance from Kakarot to directly in front of her.

The bright-white Sun set behind the landscapes of tree-tops before them, sending bars of bright light across the tops of the canopies. During the pair's silent contemplations the noises of the forest below increased in pitch, almost as if trying to grab their attention, the tweets and squeaks of the alien animals echoing through the leaves.

However, it was the rustling of the tree branches which caught Chichi's attention. She watched as, what appeared to be some kind of unknown creature, traced a haphazard path through the canopies below.

"What is that...?" It was said under her breath and more to herself, but due to their close proximity Kakarot heard and followed her gaze, smirking when he found what she was looking at. "Wait for it...they'll poke their heads out eventually!" Chichi managed to move her gaze to catch a glimpse of Kakarot, who was currently watching the shuffling leaves below them.

"...Thank you" She whispered quietly, she knew he could hear her perfectly clear. His sight shifted to look at her with slight confusion. "What for?" Chichi smiled and rolled her eyes. "This!" She gestured to the alien landscape. "Bringing me with you, showing me all of these...impossible things! Planets...Aliens! Travelling with you is just...mind-blowing!"

Kakarot looked highly pleased with himself, he shifted Chichi's weight in his arms slightly to ensure he still had a secure hold . "Well it's nice to have some company! I've been travelling on my own for so long now that I've forgotten what it's like!" A slight blush formed over the bridge of his nose and cheeks as he smiled brightly. "Once I got to know you a bit better I knew you would enjoy it."

The smile suddenly subsided when Chichi's breathing became harsher. "Are you OK?" Chichi felt as if her lungs had halved in size causing her to inhale air with more effort. "I-I think so" She noticed the look of concern he was giving her. "I'll be alright! I just need a minute, that's all." The pair slowly began to drop in altitude as Kakarot began to descend back underneath the canopy, he began looking round rapidly.

"It's starting to get dark, we've only got a few minutes of daylight left for us to find shelter...plus, you really need to rest." They came to land on a thick branch of one of the largest trees in the vicinity, with Kakarot placing Chichi softly and helping her to sit down. "OK, now you just stay there, it should only take a couple of minutes. Shout or...throw something at me if you need me!" Chichi weakly giggled and leant her back against the trunk of the tree, "Sure thing."

Kakarot removed Chichi's backpack from his shoulder and hung it from a sturdy nearby branch, he then proceeded to secure the ends of two other branches (one from either side of the one the pair were currently situated on) and tied all three together tightly at the ends using vines, creating a flat, triangle shaped structure. Once satisfied, he weaved more vines between the three branches and lined them with large leaves collected from the ground below to form a mattress floor.

He completed the structure by arranging a large clump of tree foliage as a small canopy for protection against any possible rainstorms, even though the area was already quite protected from the elements with the vast array of surrounding trees. Dusting his hands clean and placing them confidently on his hips he turned to look at Chichi for her approval. "So, what d'ya think?" She slowly stood to her feet, walking mainly on the middle branch, not wanting to damage Kakarot's masterpiece. "Wow, you're a pro!" Her heart fluttered as Kakarot gently took her hand and helped her walk to the middle of the shelter.

"How are you? Feeling any better?" Chichi nodded. "Yeah, I think it was just a mixture of excitement and the humidity, it's so warm and moist here compared to Earth and the last Planet...it'll probably take some adjustment!" Kakarot motioned for her to sit down and reached out with his free hand for Chichi's backpack. "I think you need to get some sleep! You've had enough excitement for one day!"

Sitting down on the leaves, she placed a hand onto the newly-built floor to her side and lightly pressed. "Not to question your building skills but, this will be able to hold our weight, won't it?" Kakarot waved a hand. "Of course! These vines are sturdier than they look, they can hold double our weights combined before they'll snap!" Reaching into the backpack he pulled out Chichi's cuddly monkey toy and a pale blue cotton blanket and gestured for Chichi to lie down.

Tentatively, she did as she was told and Kakarot gently placed the blanket over her, kneeling down beside her and handing her the toy with a big grin. "I'm just going to have a quick scout of the area, make sure everything's OK before we bunker down for the night, probably get some water and a quick bite to eat too." He softly placed the backpack down so he didn't cause the shelter to rock, and as he was about to leave he felt a small hand grip his ankle. "Wait! Could you get me some water too?" Rummaging through her backpack she pulled out an empty flask and handed it to him.

"Sure!" He received the flask and examined it closely. "Ergh...what is this?" She gently took the flask back from his grasp and demonstrated how to screw and unscrew the cap. "It's an empty container...just in case I get thirsty during the night..."

Taking back the flask he examined it closely. "Wow! Weird design!" He hooked it to his side next to his scouter to keep both of his hands free. "I'll be back soon, but just before I go..." He closed his eyes and clapped his hands together twice and, holding his hands a small distance apart, he created a tiny ball of blue, ki energy, taking a step back and leaving it to hover where he once stood. The small amount of light produced bounced off of Chichi's blanket and accentuated the green of the make-shift shelter. "Good night!" he whispered as he disappeared to the forest floor below.


	12. Chapter 12

Chichi couldn't sleep, no matter how hard she tried. Her eyes were dry and heavy and her head felt fuzzy with sleep, yet her mind still raced with the events of her last adventure. Reaching into the small pocket at the front of her backpack she pulled out her cell phone, pressing a button to light up the screen. It was apparently 1:30 in the morning back on Earth, however the Sun had only just set a mere thirty minutes ago on this Planet.

Lying on her back, Chichi held the phone high above her head. _Hmm...no signal...don't know why I seem so surprised!_ Home-sickness suddenly struck her straight in the stomach, she didn't realise how much she would miss a simple text from a friend until it was no longer possible. She found herself subconsciously going through past messages, reading the previous texts she had received from Bulma:

_Yo, Chi! Med question for ya! Is there any way to reverse the side effects of Marijuana?_

_? Not that I'm aware of...WHY?_

_Yamcha is currently rounding up Garden Gnomes to form an army to protect him against Guinea Pigs!_

_Excellent! I'll get a bed ready in A + E for him_

_Too late! He's just been arrested for mistaking a police woman for a stripper! WHY DID I GET BACK WITH HIM?_

And Launch:

_OMG Chichi! Just had to help pull (literally PULL) a giant worm from inside a guy's foot today! Who said nursing was glamorous? _

_I'm in an Italian's at the mo with my Dad and his new G'Friend...I'll avoid the spaghetti! :S_

Chichi smiled to herself as she re-locked her phone and replaced it back into her backpack, the smile disappearing when a wave of loneliness descended. "That's it...I can't just lie here..." Throwing the blanket off and sitting up, she glanced over the side of the shelter. _OooK, that's a long way down! _Swinging her legs over the side she tentatively placed a foot onto the branch below, lowering herself slowly inch-by-inch, keeping a tight-hold to retain her balance.

Once on the second branch, she quickly began to descend to the third, the words _You can do it...You can do this..._repeating in her mind like a mantra. As both of her feet rested on top of the destined branch she began to feel a little too confident. "There we go! See, this isn't so baAAAD!" As soon as the sentence left her lips, Chichi lost her footing on a patch of slimy moss, causing her to flail her arms wildly to the side to keep her balance.

Unfortunately this made no difference, the lack of balance causing her to fall forward. She instinctively reached out and grabbed a hanging vine travelling down the height of the tree trunk, the palms of her hands burned from the friction as she fell fast to the forest floor. Her feet landed heavily onto the ground, her hands immediately releasing their grip causing her to fall backwards and landing hard onto her back and into a pile of leaves and twigs.

"Not as graceful as I was expecting!" She spoke sarcastically under her breath as she stood back to her feet, her head throbbing from the combination of the previous injury and the force of the fall. Dusting down her clothes and picking dead leaves from her hair she couldn't help but feel like a baby bird that had fallen from its nest.

_I should have really thought this through! _She thought as she suddenly felt extremely vulnerable, spinning round to get a view of the area around her. The giant trees surrounding her made her feel extremely small and weak. "Kakarot...?" She asked weakly, frightened in case something or someone other than Kakarot overheard, however it quickly grew in volume due to sudden fear. "Kakarot!"

A rustling in the nearby bushes caused Chichi to spin round wildly. "Kakarot?" She asked meekly, hoping he was the cause of the commotion. However, it wasn't Kakarot that emerged but a large, purple lizard-like creature. It's large, yellow eyes stared unblinkingly as a low growl sounded from deep within its throat. Chichi stared back, unsure of what to do.

She tentatively took a small step back, watching for any sign of movement from the creature in front of her. The only movement came from the creature's forked tongue, which sprang from its mouth, tasting the air around it before disappearing. She took another small step back, a little quicker and more clumsily than the first, her heart skipped a beat when she heard a loud crack come from under her shoe.

The creature's eyes narrowed, its mouth drew back revealing a row of large, white, sharp teeth accompanied by a loud snarl as it began its approach. Chichi screwed her eyes tight shut and balled her hands into fists as the creature picked up the pace. "Kakarot!" She shouted into the air, her nails digging into her palms. No response. "KAKAROT!"

A whoosh of air and the loud crunch of dry leaves and twigs caused Chichi's eyes to fly open to reveal Kakarot standing with his back towards her and toe-to-toe with the creature. At the moment of Kakarot's arrival the creature's snarl deepened significantly, feeling highly intimidated it increased its height and its tail whipped wildly behind it.

The pair continued their intense staring, the lizard snarling viscously as it moved its face closer to Kakarot's in its own attempt at intimidation. Kakarot didn't back down, or even move an inch, causing the creature to growl louder in anger. This was matched by Kakarot with a large snarl of his own, his face contorted in anger as his lips drew back revealing his teeth.

The showdown lasted for only a mere few seconds, each growl and snarl matched by the other until finally the large lizard quickly backed down, his body dropping as low as possible to the ground as it turned and skulked back into the surrounding vegetation, its tail whipping large amounts of leaves and soil into the air as it disappeared.

Chichi's eyes were open wide with shock, she had seen Kakarot angry before but she had never seen him look so..._feral_. As soon as the creature was out of sight Kakarot's face quickly switched from anger to carefree as he turned round to look at Chichi, who had quickly turned her face to the side to look at the ground.

"What are you doing down here? I thought you would have been asleep by now." Kakarot laughed, "C'mon Chi! You're not scared of me are ya?" Chichi's eyes darted to Kakarot and then back to the floor in a split-second, her face blushing furiously. "It's not that..it's just that..." Kakarot blinked, completely confused. "...You're...You're naked!" She stumbled as Kakarot quickly looked down at himself and then back up at Chichi. "Oh...that!" Kakarot was completely unfazed but he could see how uncomfortable it made her so he disappeared into the surrounding shrubs, the words "Just give me a sec!" echoing after him.

Chichi struggled to compose herself once Kakarot had disappeared, her face red hot with embarrassment. _Oh God! I don't think I'll be able to look him in the face again! As if I wasn't attracted to him enough as it was! Why does he have to be so buff?_

"OK! I've got my pants on!" He shouted from his current position, however, due to the distance it sounded quite faint to Chichi's ears. "R-Right!" She coughed as she quickly stumbled forward and slowly began to walk into Kakarot's general direction.

"W-Where are you?" She shouted back as she slowly made her way through the forest, brushing leaves and pushing through large plumes of grasses and shrubs, taking care where she stood and that no small branches hit her face. "I'm just here! Keep going straight on!"

After a couple of minutes of struggling, Chichi finally reached a clearing in the forest and found herself at the bank of a large, clear pool complete with its own small waterfall. Kakarot was currently leaning against a small tree putting on his boots, his upper spandex clothing , white gloves and chest armour lay on the pool bank alongside Chichi's flask and his scouter.

Still embarrassed, Chichi began twiddling her fingers as a slight distraction. "Thanks for saving me...again!" Kakarot chuckled, "No problem!" He reached for his upper blue spandex clothing and began putting them on, forgetting about his chest armour. "It's a wonder you lasted as long back on Earth! You have a knack for getting yourself into trouble!"

Chichi laughed, relaxing all the more. "Well...none of this started to happen until you showed up! If you ask me this is all because of you!" Smiling, she turned to get a better look at the pool. "I've only seen views like this on TV!" Kakarot picked up his armour and began trying to remove some of the dirt and scuff marks from its surface. "Yeah, I was just having a quick bath when I heard you screaming...which explains the lack of clothes!"

Without thinking and too taken in by the waterfall Chichi quickly replied. "It's OK, I didn't mind..." Kakarot quickly stopped his buffering and looked straight at her, smirking widely. "Eh..Urgh...What I meant was I appreciated that you came to save me as quick as you could rather than...not coming at all!" Kakarot returned to his buffering but the smirk still stayed firmly in place, feeling pleased with himself that she liked what she had seen. "Of course!" He replied sarcastically.

_D-Does...does he know?_ Chichi thought as she watched him with his armour, unaware that Kakarot was fully aware of her feelings towards him due to the psychic connection he had shared with the sentient Planet during her unconsciousness. She smiled shyly like a love-sick teenager as she continued to watch him, noting how cute he looked at that moment with that smirk and the way his tail twitched in the air behind him.

_His tail..._ "Kakarot...what kind of alien are you?" With that question Kakarot stood as still as a statue, even his tail froze in mid-air. "I don't know! What kind of alien are you?" He asked playfully but Chichi could see straight through it and noticed how uncomfortable he looked right now. "You know what I mean! What species are you? Where are you from?"

"I told you before, that doesn't matter!" He placed the armour once again on the bank of the pool next to Chichi's flask. "Yeah, well it does to me!" Kakarot appeared to ignore her as he began performing calf and shoulder stretches next to her. "Don't you think I have a right to know who I'm travelling with?"

He turned to face her; the carefree look on his face was long gone and now replaced with a slight look of disappointment. "It's me you're travelling with! A person should be defined by who they are; their likes and dislikes...not by _what_ they are!" He widened the gap between them and knelt at the side of the pool, cupping some water in his hands taking long, slow sips. "No, but it would be nice to know..." She whispered.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair. Worried that she had upset him, Chichi decided to break the silence. "Jellyfish" Kakarot looked up and allowed the water to drop from his hands as he looked at her confused as she continued. "I have a huge phobia of jellyfish. The way they move and the way they just appear to...look at you! Like there's nothing living there! I'm a firm believer that things with no skeleton should not be allowed to live!"

Kakarot smiled and stared deep into the waters of the pool before him, deep in thought. Chichi waited anxiously for a reply. "Could you do me a favour?" He asked, which she thought was a strange question for a man who had saved her numerous times over the last three days. "Just...look up and see if you can see a moon?" Confused she quickly glanced upwards into the night sky; due to the break in the trees she was able to get a good view of the stars above them.

"I can't see a Moon..." Kakarot continued to stare at the water. "Get a really good look!" Scanning every visible part of the sky Chichi discovered something which may have been a Moon. It was much smaller than the Moon on Earth and more of a blue colour. "I found it!" She explained, pointing at the object "...I think..."

"Is it full?" He asked as Chichi once again looked up at the object. _Why can't he just check himself instead of getting me to do it?_ "Nope, it's a sort of crescent...unless that's the shape it is when it's full?" Satisfied, Kakarot stood back up onto his feet and looked up into the night sky. "Yep! That's definitely a Moon!" The pair dropped their gazes simultaneously to look at each other, with Kakarot beginning to look very determined.

_The last time he gave me that look was just after we first met when he told me to forget about him...what's going on?_ The tension on Kakarot's face eased slightly. "Fancy a bit of star-gazing?" he asked as Chichi nodded her head in reply. "We'll have to get up high for a good view" He looked at her questioning for her approval. She again nodded and Kakarot once again carried her in his arms, a little less forcefully than last time, as he easily jumped up to one of the highest branches.

Setting her down as gently as he good she quickly sat down onto the branch, with Kakarot joining her at her side. "Still not tired?" He asked as she shook her head. "I'm too excited to sleep!" Kakarot chuckled "I remember that feeling well!" Chichi looked at him from the corner of her eye "Remember?"

"It wears off over time..." Chichi sighed dejectedly "Why won't you tell me who you are?" Kakarot looked down from the sky to his feet "Because I don't want you to hate me" With that, Chichi gave Kakarot her full attention "Kakarot, why would I hate you?" He didn't answer, his gaze returning to the stars overhead. Chichi watched him for a few more seconds, and then eventually joined him in his stargazing. Whatever he was it was a sore subject and she didn't want to keep pushing.

Then, after a few minutes silence, Kakarot decided it was time. "Chichi...I'm a Saiyan"


	13. Chapter 13

"Well...I don't know. What are you saying?" Kakarot huffed loudly and rolled his eyes at what he believed was a very poor joke. "What? What did I say?" Chichi asked, genuinely confused as to where this conversation was going. "You wanted to know what I am so I'm telling you...I am a Saiyan." He spoke the last part more clearly to avoid further confusion.

"A Saiyan?" She repeated, committing the word to her memory. Kakarot tensed as he watched Chichi's reaction. She stared back at him waiting for him to continue. "So...?" She asked, trying to push him to continue. Kakarot chuckled loudly and returned his gaze to the stars above them, as if he had a weight lifted from his shoulders.

"What now?" She asked, beginning to get annoyed with Kakarot's mixed messages. "Well, it's just that…that's not the reaction I'm used to getting when people find out that I'm a Saiyan!" He smiled brightly at Chichi. "And why would that be then?" She asked, keen to get as much information out of him before he clamped up again.

"Because, Saiyans are a warrior race who love nothing better than to attack and destroy anything or anyone that stands in our way in the name of sport or the highest bidder." Kakarot spat as Chichi looked on sadly. "That doesn't sound like you…" She whispered as a smile appeared on Kakarot's face but quickly disappeared in a flash. "Is that the reason…why you left?" She asked softly as she gently placed a hand onto his arm for comfort.

"I left because I was ashamed!" His hands subconsciously gripped the branch they sat on tightly, causing the bark beneath them to crack under the pressure. Chichi's grip on Kakarot's arm increased as she suddenly began to feel extremely nervous. Kakarot shot her a quick side-glance and smiled apologetically. "Sorry!" He quickly returned his gaze back to the stars above.

"Like I said…my people are a warrior race and love nothing more than a good fight. We are born with super strength and speed at a naturally higher level than other species. Our bodies have evolved so that we quickly grow stronger every time we fight…even more so when we become injured or are near-death…the perfect warriors…"

Chichi did nothing but watch, daring only to breathe as she absorbed every word of what Kakarot was saying. "Of course, as our strength grew…we started to catch the attention of other species. Namely…" His face quickly contorted into that of anger. "Frieza!" He growled as Chichi quickly tensed further. "A sick, twisted _evil_ monster whose sole wish is to rule the universe as it's maniacal Overlord! He saw the hidden potential of Saiyans…he believed he could manipulate us into the perfect weapons to subjugate entire Planets and Species to bring his goal one step closer."

Chichi quickly swallowed hard. "Hey…it's OK!" She gently began to rub his arm in a feeble attempt at comfort. "No…it's not." He sighed sadly as he dropped and shook his head, his gaze now at his feet. "My family…my Race have become nothing but slaves doing that monsters bidding for his Planet Trade Organisation…and it's only a matter of time before he grows tired of them…And that's not the worst part of it..." Kakarot took in a ragged breath before continuing. "...They actually _enjoy_ it..."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair, Chichi tried desperately to think of something to say but Kakarot's huge revelation had left her practically speechless, unsure of what to say or do to try and comfort him. Kakarot misunderstood the silence for something much more sinister. He quickly turned to look directly at Chichi.

"I'm nothing like them! I never have been! I was always looked at and treated like an outcast ever since I was small…I loved fighting but I lacked the natural, raw aggression of a Saiyan! As soon as I was drafted into the Saiyan Army and Frieza's Oragnisation I stole a scouter, armour and a ship and left before they could give me a mission! I want to see the Universe as it is before Frieza moulds it into something more sinister!"

Chichi thought her heart was going to break at the sight of the sad expression on Kakarot's face at that moment and she did the only thing that came into her mind and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I'm sorry" She whispered sadly into his chest. Kakarot returned the hug with one of his own, burying his face in Chichi's hair. "What have you got to be sorry for?" He whispered as Chichi sniffled into his chest fighting back tears.

"I forced you to tell me…I shouldn't have pushed you…" Kakarot smiled slightly. "Yeah, but you were right. You deserved to know the truth…" He quickly pulled back from the embrace, placing both of his hands on Chichi's fore-arms and removed her gently from his chest, causing her to look up at him sadly. The pair couldn't help but take note of their close proximity, their hearts pounded hard in their chests as they reduced the distance between them into a soft kiss.

Chichi slowly placed her arms yet again around Kakarot's neck as the kiss intensified, they were both now completely unaware of their surroundings, only interested in the feelings that were being invoked at that very moment, both becoming completely lost into each other. Kakarot's hands dropped from Chichi's arms to her waist, softly stroking her skin beneath the fabric of her clothes as Chichi's fingers played with his hair.

Completely distracted, Kakarot was now paying all of his attention into the now passionate kiss. As he moved forward to gain a tighter grip of Chichi the bark of the branch beneath them which was previously cracked due to Kakarot's anger began to slip, causing Kakarot to fall suddenly to the forest floor below. However, he still maintained his tight grip of Chichi's waist, causing her to fall along with him, the kiss now well and truly broken.

Kakarot fell hard onto his feet with a loud thud, quickly catching Chichi tightly in his arms a split second later. The pair felt completely disorientated from the sudden break of their passionate kiss. Chichi's face flushed hotly as she purposely avoided Kakarot's gaze, afraid of his reaction and what he might say. _What if he thought it was a mistake?_ The thought crossed her mind continuously on a loop, but what she didn't realise was Kakarot was thinking the exact same thing.

Her gaze nervously returned to Kakarot's face, their eyes once again meeting intensely. Chichi couldn't help but notice a cute blush once again graze his nose and cheekbones. After a few seconds of the pair staring deeply into each other's eyes their emotions quickly caught up with them, resulting in the pair of them bursting into laughter.

As their laughter began to die down, Kakarot smiled broadly. "I'm really glad I found you…" He whispered as Chichi once again closed the gap between them and captured him in another kiss, her hands stroking his face as his grip intensified. Their kiss and their passion grew even more intensive under the starlight of the alien planet.

* * *

><p>Chichi gently awoke to the pattering sound of rain on the makeshift canopy above her, rays of the alien sun burst through gaps of the trees above to create patterns of light on the structures below. Her eyes fluttered open gently to reveal that she was now back in the makeshift shelter, only this time she had company. Lying just a couple of inches from her was a sleeping Kakarot, his modesty was covered only by Chichi's blue blanket, which she too was also currently lying under.<p>

She smiled widely like a schoolgirl as she vividly remembered the events of last night. Moving in closer, she snuggled her face into Kakarot's neck and inhaled his scent deeply. _I've fallen hard!_ She thought as Kakarot stirred in his sleep. "W-What? What's going on? Something happened?" He asked, still half asleep as Chichi placed a quick peck on his nose. "Absolutely nothing! Everything's perfect!"

He grinned broadly, "Good!" He replied as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and brought her closer to him, Chichi returned to nuzzling his neck. Kakarot gently rested his chin on top of Chichi's head, unsure of how to word what he was about to say. "Listen, I…I just want to say that…last night…" A knot of dread suddenly tightened in Chichi's stomach as she shut her eyes tightly. _Please…please don't say what I think you're going to say…Please!_

"Last night…last night was incredible! But…"

But…

"But…I-I just want you to know that…"

_Oh God, here it comes!_ She tried as hard as she could to fight back the tears.

"That…that wasn't the reason why I brought you here! Don't get me wrong though…I-I've felt a connection with you ever since we first met and it's become much deeper since then and…I hope you feel the same way…and that you don't want it to end either." Chichi couldn't help but smile even wider than before at Kakarot's words. "I just wanted you to know that this wasn't some big scheme to get you into bed or anything, I mean…I've never done this kind of thing before!" He chuckled.

Chichi moved from her current position to look directly at Kakarot. He couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw the large grin etched across her face. "I feel _exactly _the same as you and I never _ever_ want this to end!" Kakarot laughed happily as Chichi leaned forward and kissed him hard on the lips. Kakarot felt like the luckiest man in the world as he gently stroked her soft skin with his fingers.

The intimate moment was soon interrupted by the sound of Kakarot's stomach. Breaking the kiss he gently leaned his forehead against hers. "Sorry!" He chuckled as Chichi brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Well, there's a surprise!" She giggled as Kakarot placed a soft peck on her lips before he sat up swiftly and began to put on his spandex uniform.

"Breakfast!" He announced as soon as he was fully clothed and knelt down to once again become face to face with Chichi. "OK! I'm gonna go and get us some food! This time you are going to stay here until I get back, you hear?" He teased as Chichi playfully swatted him on the shoulder. "Just go, will ya! I have to get changed anyway!" She giggled as Kakarot winked playfully. "Nothing I haven't seen before!" Chichi feigned shock as Kakarot quickly returned to his feet and jumped from the shelter to the forest floor below before Chichi could even think of a reply.

Quickly reaching for her clothes that were now lying in a pile behind her, Chichi couldn't help but instinctively look around her for any sign of prying eyes. She quickly caught sight of a small, beady pair in the shelter beside her. "Yeah and what are you looking at?" She asked slyly as she quickly threw her blanket over her nearby cuddly monkey toy.

* * *

><p>Kakarot returned a few minutes later with armfuls of what appeared to be different varieties of alien fruits; he was once again wearing his chest armour with Chichi's flask and his scouter hanging at his side after a quick return to the pool. "Enjoy!" He said as he dropped the large number of fruits into a pile before her. Chichi stared wide-eyed, unsure of where she should even start.<p>

As if answering her unasked question, Kakarot reached forward and picked up a pink, round and spiky fruit and took a large bite out of it, smiling and urging her to try one as he chewed. Chichi chewed her lip as she reached forward, her hand hovering over the pile as she made her decision, picking up a small, oval, bright orange fruit. Bringing the fruit slowly to her mouth, she continued to assess it as she took a small bite.

"Ow!" She quickly brought her free hand up to her lips to help ease the pain in her gums. "It's solid!" She yelped as Kakarot chuckled and reached forward to take the fruit from her. "Trust you to pick the only one in the pile!" Grasping the fruit in both hands he cracked it hard against his knee, breaking it into two halves and handed one to Chichi. Holding her half upright she examined the inside which revealed purple flesh with what appeared to be light pink juice.

She watched as Kakarot brought his half to his lips and drank the remaining juice, and continued to watch as he began to messily eat the rest with his fingers. Following his lead, she drank all of the juice in her half in one go, sighing heavily once finished. "Wow! It's kind-of like a mixture of Watermelon and…Coconut!"

"Are they fruits on your Planet?" Kakarot asked as he tossed the remains of his half over the side of the shelter and reached forward for another piece of fruit. "Yeah! Well…at least I think they're fruits…" She replied as she pulled out a small piece of flesh with her fingers and placed it into her mouth, quickly wiping a small amount of juice that dribbled down her chin.

* * *

><p>As soon as the fruit had disappeared and the pair were now fully satisfied, they quickly returned to the pool to wash before once again travelling to yet another Planet. "Chichi! C'mon! We gotta go!" Kakarot wheezed as he placed Chichi's backpack over his shoulder. "Just a minute!" She called back as she refilled her flask with fresh water from the pool, making sure the lid was screwed on tightly before beginning to fold up her blanket neatly and carrying the items towards Kakarot.<p>

"What's the hurry anyway?" She asked as she opened her backpack to squash the items inside, Kakarot bending down slightly so she could reach properly. "It's like I told you! I'm classed as a fugitive both by my Planet _and_ by Frieza! If they catch me we are both in serious trouble! That's why I have to keep moving so they can't catch me!"

"Is Frieza really that strong? I mean, from what I've seen it's not as if you're a weakling yourself!" Kakarot scoffed as Chichi replaced her Monkey toy back into her backpack, its head once again poking through. "Frieza and his family are unrivalled in the entire Universe! He'd wipe the floor with me! The more distance between them and us the better!"

Taking a step forward Kakarot raised his head and stared straight into the sky. "OK, where to next?" He asked as Chichi moved to his side and followed his gaze. "There!" She pointed at an area of sky, which appeared to have a small collection of bright blue dots that she gathered were Planets. "Which one?"

"That one!" She moved her finger slightly to the left to point at the brightest one. "That one?" He asked as he too pointed to clarify. "Right...there!" She moved his arm to match hers. "OK! I'll try!" He grinned as he wrapped his arm firmly around her waist and brought her tightly towards him. "Hold on tight!" He beamed as they once again vanished into thin air.


End file.
